College awards 30 Travel Scholarships
Posted on Wednesday 16 May 2007
Students from the College will be spending the summer travelling to all corners of the earth to deve
The whole world in their hands
Thirty students from Farnborough Sixth Form College will be extending their studies by undertaking adventurous or challenging activities in all corners of the globe in the summer months. They have been awarded Travel Scholarships by the College which has a strong commitment to encouraging a greater understanding of the global world in which we live.College Principal Dr John Guy said, “As part of our programme to challenge students and encourage enrichment, we offer travel scholarships to support students to undertake unusual projects overseas. This year, the breadth of activities which we have supported is astonishing”.
First year students Amy Baldwinson, 16, of Camberley, and Georgia Stilwell, 16, of Farnborough, will be travelling to Guatemala to assist with sea turtle conservation by night and to teach English, mathematics and science to underprivileged children during the day. Georgia said, “I want to get as much experience as I can of different cultures and attitudes – I think undertaking this project in Guatemala will be really challenging and it will make me to interact with lots of different people. It is really exciting – and a bit frightening!”
Jonathan Drinkwater, 16 of Fleet, and Jade Lymn, 16, of Camberley, received their scholarships to travel to Malawi with a medical team linked to the Beacon Church in Camberley to offer medical and social help at a number of orphanages, teaching about water-borne diseases and HIV/Aids in the villages. Jonathan said, “I want to study medicine when I leave College and hope to devote some of my career to working in developing countries – so this is a really important opportunity to find out what it might be like and to learn at first hand the impact of HIV/Aids in the rural communities.”
In addition to the College Scholarships, Blackwater Valley Rotary Club President, Valerie Boud, presented the Jacqueline Findlay Memorial Award, to travel scholar Judy Barker, 17, of Brookwood, who is taking a gap year to teach English In Tajikistan. Jacqueline Findlay was the first President of the Club and former headteacher of North Farnborough Infants School in whose memory the award was established.
Mrs Boud said, “Jacqueline always loved travel and encouraged young people to be adventurous and to work for the good of the community so Judy’s project is particularly worthy of our support.”
Judy, who is studying French, Spanish, Mathematics, Business Studies and Italian hopes to study modern languages at university after her gap year.
Judy said, “Having never ventured out of Western Europe, the prospect of living for five months in a Central Asian country, where foreigners are still an extremely rare sight, is quite terrifying. However, I know it will be an incredible experience and I am excited about immersing myself in the culture and way of life”.
“It is a real honour to receive the Jacqueline Findlay Memorial Award as well as a College Travel Scholarship; I look forward to speaking about my experiences to the Blackwater Valley Rotary Club when I get back”.
Full list of Travel Scholars 2007:
Charlotte Alexander Marsh: journalism project for in Kerala, India; Emma Ashford, Fiona Bean and Natalie Gidney: working with street children in Kenya; Amy Baldwinson and Georgia Stilwell: sea turtle conservation in Guatemala; Judy Barker: teaching in Istaravshan, Tajikistan; Elizabeth Barnes: Springs Dance Company in Europe and America; Edward Bauer and Daniel Forsyth: sponsored cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats for the College Ghana Link Project; Emily Callaghan-Sloane: intensive language course in Paris; Rachael Coates and Jessica Tate: Operation Raleigh trip to Borneo and Malaysia; Jonathan Drinkwater and Jade Lymn: medical and social aid in Malawi; Claudia Foxcroft: work with families with Project Goa; Shirish Gurung: supporting families and children in Nepal; Sohail Jannesari: HCPT Pilgrimage to Lourdes; Mhairi Lipski: Project in Brazil with the Guide Association: Peter Loveland: ‘Exercise Italia’ with the Air Training Corps; Oliver Magee community projects in Nepal and Tibet; Chris Moore: conservation projects in the Bahamas with Greenforce; Shauna Partridge and Danielle Taylor: teaching English in Austria with Croydon Crusaders; Sophie Porteous: European Youth Sailing Championships in Sweden; Jonathan Talbot-Hammond: intensive language course in Vichy; Marie-Claire Thomas: teaching English in Ecuador; Claire Tomlinson: working with disadvantaged children in South Africa; Stephanie Twell: the European Track and Field Championships in Holland.
