I didn’t know what I wanted to do after Queenswood but Sixth Form didn’t push me into a straitjacket – it was a trampoline.

I had opportunities to showcase skills and take on leadership roles, but Q also worked with me when I pitched independent ideas. I have hazy memories of orchestrating school-wide parties, leading several chapels and setting up debates.

I gained a Philosophy BA and MA at York, receiving a distinction for my thesis on Transhumanism. This examined how to think about extreme body modification – gene editing, brain chips, weaponized limbs – fun sci-fi stuff! Now I’m down in the trenches with startups developing everything from SpaceTech to Generative AI. My role helps startups have the political environment they need. I recommend lobbying as a career – all the fun of being an argumentative lawyer with none of the need to know the law!

The heart of my job is relationship-building and strategy. Queenswood developed people-skills, self-belief, and iron-clad determination. That’s the sort of stuff misty-eyed teachers talk about when you leave and a teenage me probably did roll her eyes, but as I have grown, particularly now I manage others, I regularly draw on that well of strength, compassion and fun that was absolutely Q-inspired.