Sam Darwen
Left Wellfield: 2021
Current job role: Student at UWC Atlantic College
What was your favourite thing about school?
What I enjoyed most about Wellfield was the close-knit feel. Walking in and being greeted by every member of staff really made it a great place to be. I don't know many other schools that had that. A small and caring community was a unique experience and one I learnt to cherish.
What was your post-16 choice once leaving Wellfield?
After leaving Wellfield, I began attending UWC Atlantic College (or AC for short). AC is an international boarding college based in a 14th century castle in South Wales, and there are students from every background imaginable, brough together for the purpose of education - from European Royals to Afghan refugees. Our goal is to unite nations, people and cultures for a more peaceful and sustainable future - it's a very hard place to describe but I would definitely recommend doing your research into it!
What was the biggest transitional issue you faced when you started college/work?
I think once I left Wellfield I felt like a small fish in a big pond, and it was certainly difficult to adapt to the wider world and wider communities without the close community I had at school, it definitely took time to understand that's not how everywhere in the world works.
How did school prepare you for the workforce and the real world?
I think the belief that anything is possible if I truly put my mind to it, was something Wellfield really nurtured into me, and I've not long since left (at the time of writing this) but I've already gone on to do things I'm really proud of, and I think the confidence to do so came from school.
What was your career pathway?
I am currently in my final year at UWC Atlantic College so I'm still not 100% sure in all honesty! Next year I will be going to university in the USA to study international relations, and then seeing where I can be taken from there!
