This autumn term, Churcher's students have benefitted from a series of inspirational and educational talks given by three OCs; Carl Florh (19), Thomas Gore Brown (23) and Peter Davis (06) who shared their career journeys to date, encouraging and equipping others to follow suit...

In September, Thomas Gore Brown commenced the series with a talk on 'Why you don't have to have it all figured out'. Thomas left Churcher's College with 3 A levels at grade B and "loads of questions" about what to do next. He has subsequently thrown himself into rowing, coaching, leadership and adventure and most recently secured a political consultancy internship working in green energy. He admits they were "all things I never imagined doing back then." His talk was aimed at encouraging students to work hard, show up and push themselves even when they are unsure of the outcome. He talked honestly about mental health, motivation and why effort matters. "It's about making the most of where you are and trusting that your story doesn't have to follow a perfect line to lead somewhere meaningful." Thomas shared how he was able to build momentum through persistence, resilience and by taking initiative outside the classroom. His talk was designed to reframe success, highlighting the importance of mental health taking ownership of your future - whether through sport, leadership, creativity or using real-world tools like LinkedIn. His inspirational message was that'"you don't need to be perfect, but you do need to care, commit and be open to growth."

Peter Davis returned to school in November to give a fascinating CCALS talk to pupils, staff and the wider community on his experiences living and working in Antarctica. Peter has worked for the British Antarctic Survey for over nine years and has been to Antarctica on five separate occasions. He spent the winter of 2019/2020 on the Thwaites Glacier as part of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (a large US/UK project) to understand the fate of one of Antarctica's most unstable ice shelves. Peter, who is recognised in the 2023 TIME100 annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, spoke about the melting and thinning of ice shelves and the two-year logistical plan needed to create a small town in preparation for a team of scientists to work in the field. Everyone left with a sharper sense of the potential impact of climate change on Antarctica's ice shelves and for the planet in the long term. There are many unsolved mysteries as Peter explained in his closing remarks that "we know more about the moon and Mars than we do about ice shelf cavities. There is a lot more for us to learn."

Towards the end of term, Carl Flohr gave an online talk on architecture covering his journey from Ramshill to Scotland's stunning landscapes. Carl was raised bilingually and lived his early childhood years in Vietnam - these experiences have fuelled his appetite to explore life through more than one cultural lens. His curiosity to approach and understand people has further developed into understanding the ways in which humans forge spaces around themselves - often in the absence of an architect! Pupils joined him on a whistle stop tour looking back at the steps taken to now finding himself working for WT Architecture, a small team of architects who shape some of Scotland's most wild and beautiful landscapes from their seaside studio just outside Edinburgh. Carl is, in his own words, "absolutely loving Scotland. It is truly such an amazing place. So beautiful and full of adventure!"  We look forward to seeing where architecture may continue to take him...

We are grateful to all our OCs who take time out of their busy lives to share their stories to help educate and inform our students. If you would like to share your's, please contact the Development Office.