DHSG was the making of me.  I had come from a school where only 5 girls passed the 11 plus and I was the only one who had been accepted into the school, so didn’t know anyone in my year when I started.  I loved the school – the subjects were so much more interesting and densely packed than I was used to. It was wonderful to be stretched intellectually, and with girls of a similar ability. 

My school memories

DHSG was the making of me.  I had come from a school where only 5 girls passed the 11 plus and I was the only one who had been accepted into the school, so didn’t know anyone in my year when I started.  I loved the school – the subjects were so much more interesting and densely packed than I was used to. It was wonderful to be stretched intellectually, and with girls of a similar ability.  The teachers encouraged us to use our brains to think, critically, not just stuff in information for exams.  The science labs were the best – experiments and learning about how the world works was brilliant. Mr Colliver with his van de Graaf generator and photography club. Dissecting things with Miss Hill, and doing awesome chemistry experiments with Mrs Bickley, this all brought science to life for me.  I made some great friends and although I now live hundreds of miles away, a few weeks ago 19 of us got together for a catch up on the Barbican and we had an absolute blast.  I was lucky enough to be involved in lots of things including drama and Young Enterprise and these plus my love of science were certainly the foundations of my current career.

What did you do after DHSG?

My first proper job was at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, working in Space Science as a computer programmer on ROSAT and IRAS satellites.  After a couple of years I moved into international corporates (ICL/Fujitsu/Invensys/WR Grace) in software engineering, technical project management and managerial roles and doing lots of international travelling. In 2003 I set up a Climate Change business innovation consultancy which I ran for 10 years. Most recently I have changed my business focus and am building ScienceClubz Ltd, a network of after-school science clubs for Primary School children. This is growing rapidly and I have eight people helping me and big plans for expansion in the UK and overseas!  During all this time I have been a perennial student – mostly as day release paid for by my employers.  I studied physics and chemistry, then back to study maths, stats and computer science, then information systems, then international management then an MBA!

Tips and advice

What advice would you give to any school leavers? Do something you are passionate about and keep learning. Don’t be afraid of change and don’t be afraid to trailblaze. You are the future.

What advice would you give to a parent of a child thinking of sending their child to Devonport High School for Girls?  Do not hesitate.