The Duke of Edinburgh Award gave me opportunities to engage in extra curricular activities outside of school, including working with children and learning British Sign Language, which helped me in my future career as a Speech and Language Therapist, and confirmed this was the career path I wanted to follow. The expeditions also instilled in me a love of the countryside, walking and hiking that continues to this day. Far more than that though, the D of E Award taught me the importance of teamwork and endurance, as well as improving my confidence. In addition, when I went to St James' Palace to collect my Gold Award, it was presented to me by my favourite comedian, Harry Hill! The Duke himself was standing metres away from me at one point during the ceremony as well! I'm so thankful for all the opportunities The Award gave me and for all the skills and attributes I developed as a result of completing it.