Kirkbie Kendal School

My school memories: At school my favourite subject was design and technology. I studied Resistant Materials at GCSE and Product Design at A-Level. One of my favourite memories from school was competing in the annual rotary Design and Technology competition against other schools which we won 3/4 years we competed. What I did after KKS: I did a degree in Product Design at Manchester metropolitan university where I learnt how to design mass manufacture products and took a keen interest in furniture in particular. During university I completed a year long internship at Teal furniture. After uni I gained a graduate job with Teal and have worked there for the past two years. I have designed; a sofa range, a dining chair and healthcare furniture. All these products have gone into mass production which is a very rewarding feeling! Tips and advice: I was never 100% sure what I wanted to do but I knew I enjoyed design and making things. D & T and the sciences came naturally to me, I enjoyed them and found them a lot easier to excel in than other subjects! If you are unsure what you want to do I would advise you to try and find something that you are passionate about and good at as I have! Also don’t worry if what you think you want seems too difficult or competitive to achieve. If you really want it you will succeed!

What I did after KKS: Newcastle University: Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies During my studies I spent a year abroad in Spain (Ourense and Málaga) and some months in Lisbon, Portugal. I moved to Germany after graduation with my Spanish partner in 2016 and I worked in a few roles, teaching English as a Foreign Language, working in Public Relations for beauty brands and I spent the last 3 years working for a software company called TeamViewer. TeamViewer is a software which allows people to work remotely. People might know the company from the sports partnerships we have with Manchester United and Lewis Hamilton’s F1 team. My current role there is Team Lead of Customer Support for EMEA (Europe, Africa and Middle East) which also allows me to use my language skills on a daily basis. I still use my French from A levels and also learned German by living here the last years. I still love music and go to concerts, I did some open mic nights in my university days and won a singing competition in Galicia during my time as an Au Pair, music gave me the confidence to address a crowd! I still use my English lit skills when addressing my team members and thinking about what message I want to convey and what effect it will have. Tips and advice: It’s great if you already know what you want to do but it’s also ok to not have a specific career path in mind…I really enjoyed all my a levels and working in different jobs! Doing so allowed me to build a skill set which got me where I am today… I want students to know that there is no shame in trying out different things and we need to break the stigma that you can only be successful if you stick at one path. By teaching I learned the importance of active listening and working with different personality types. Working in PR showed me about networking and I use empathy as a team leader to help others reach to their full potential. Don’t think you cannot study something or do a certain job just because its typically associated with a certain personality type or gender – 10 years ago I never imagined I’d be capable of working for an IT company, nevermind leading an international team in one, especially as a 28 year old woman…but I made it happen and girls should know that they are also more than capable of thriving in the tech industry! Go with your gut feeling and study what YOU enjoy. Research what kinds of jobs you can do with your studies and if you see yourself doing that day in day out. You spend your whole day at work once your studies are finished, so best make it fun!

My school memories: I have so many fantastic memories from my time at KKS – it’s where I met some of my dearest friends. Even now we still reminisce over our favourite school moments, German with Mrs McDonald, RE with Mrs Barker and so many others. Personally, I’ll never forget all those lunchtimes spent on the field with friends and running cross country in the rain! What I did after KKS: 2022 marks 10 years since I left KKS, I went on to get a first-class honours degree from the University of Cumbria as a Youth and Community Worker. After working in this field for 5 years I transitioned to become a qualified Mortgage & Protection Adviser by completing exams whilst working full time in a Financial Investment office. Tips and advice: Choose something you enjoy and work hard at it even if you don’t think it’s what you want to do forever. Remember that you can always change your mind and that your hard work will be recognised and rewarded if you decide to make a change in life – I did and the same can be true for you!