We interviewed Old Bedstonian, Amy Watkins about her life Beyond Bedstone

Age: 20

Years when you were at Bedstone College: 2007-2016

Please describe your education or work since leaving Bedstone College?
After leaving Bedstone, I applied through clearing to study Geography and Environmental Management at Harper Adams University. I continue to work on the farm during the holidays and have been lucky enough to be involved in cultural exchanges, undertaking a trip to Beijing for 2 weeks with the University. I have been offered a scholarship from an Agronomy company who I will spend my placement year working for.

Please describe your interests since leaving Bedstone College?
Travelling is one of my main interests, taking every opportunity I have to see a new country. I have also gained an interest in sustainable agriculture and have attended conferences to network with companies who encourage sustainability. I also still enjoy something I picked up from DofE Gold at Bedstone, which is hiking.

What was the best part of your education at Bedstone?
My best memories were made whilst boarding in secondary school and being able to do sports such as cross-country. I also loved being able to play music and perform with others.

What was the best thing that you learnt at Bedstone College?
To be around a variety of people from different cultures, learning how other people live outside of the UK. I also learnt to have a go at everything, as Bedstone really encourage their students to be all-rounders.

If you could give your younger self a piece of advice what would it be?
If your heart is set on something, never give up. I struggled to get into University at the start and ended up going through clearing. The clearing process doesn’t make you different from any other student, and you get out of life what you put in. Don’t expect everything to come easy.

At Bedstone we aim for our school leavers to be curious, robust, adaptable and tolerant. Please could you tell us which of these skills has been most useful to you since leaving Bedstone and why?
Bedstone has taught me so many things that I wouldn’t have achieved in any other school. However, I think being robust is the best skill you can ever have. There will always be challenges you need to overcome, but anyone can overcome the disappointments if they put their mind to it. Failure only makes you stronger.