After leaving Ullathorne in 2005, I studied medicine, graduating & starting my first job as a doctor in August 2011. I first worked as an "academic-doctor" combining clinical work on the hospital wards, with lab-based research at Oxford University; largely focussed on mechanisms in the brain underlying addiction & Parkinson's disease. After completing my 'foundation' post-graduate training, I went on to specialise in cancer medicine (oncology) and mostly treated patients with breast & prostate cancer. In 2016 I left my NHS-post to work for one of the worlds' leading strategy consulting firms (The Boston Consulting Group), where I have largely worked in the healthcare practice area, providing analysis & strategic advice for multinational pharmaceutical companies & government organized healthcare providers.

I was always passionate about environmental issues. At school I loved Geography and Biology and studied environmental sciences at Birmingham University Through my passion for conservation, sustainability and the environment I have been able to seize many opportunities. Through my university I went to New Zealand to work for the institute of Water and Atmosphere. As a research assistant I helped the fisheries team to analyse sustainable water use in Christchurch. As well as learning about a wide variety of fish I could see first hand how scientists are discovering and learning about the environment and human impact on that environment. I also got the chance to go on a conservation project to track and monitor turtle hatchlings in Antalya, Turkey. This allowed me to see the impact of human development on natural processes and how important volunteers and conservation projects are. Most recently I have undertaken an ICS project with Raleigh International, this took me to El Pegador in Nicaragua. The project focused on sustainable livelihoods for young entrepreneurs. Although my Spanish was terrible I built lasting friendships and memories I will always cherish! I hope my story inspires other Ullathorne students that although I haven’t had a clear career path, my voluntary work has given me a wealth of experience and knowledge to help me build my future career.

Joel Fearon (born 11 October 1988) is a sprinter and bobsledder. His personal best for the 100m, 9.96 seconds, places him 3rd on the UK all time list behind Linford Christie and James Dasaolu. In addition to pursuing a sprinting career, Fearon has also competed in bobsleigh since November 2011, and was part of the Great Britain crews that finished fifth in the four man event at the FIBT World Championships in February 2013, second at the Bobsleigh European Championship in January 2014 and fifth in the Sochi Winter Olympics.