Two years ago, I came across an organisation that specialises in setting up alumni networks for schools and I thought this was the perfect thing for my school when I left for university. So I put my old school in touch with the organisation and before I knew it the alumni network was set up! This would provide a great communication platform for ex-students and teachers so that they could re-enter their old school and share their experiences of life beyond school. Something like this would greatly benefit the current students since the ex-students that they meet sat in the same seats as they did and so they can relate to them better and in turn have a greater impact on them. I certainly see this when I enter my old school on a weekly basis for Science Club - the students want to know who your teachers were, what you are doing now and how you got there.
It's an irreplaceable feeling when I go back and inspire the current students and I hope others can benefit from FutureFirst too - check out this link and get your old school to join and make a positive impact.
Recently, I received an email from FutureFirst, asking me to join the school at their career's evening so that I can share my education path with the current students and their parents. This is an opportunity for me to inspire the next generation and get more students taking Physics further! As part of the evening there will be posters displayed at the school featuring ex-students, so I had to take some pictures for the poster. I wanted it to display all the cool things I was doing and my tagline (that will be featured on the poster) was "I went to Heston Community School and am now learning how lasers can save lives!" - I just had to take the pictures in a lab. I got in touch with one of the post docs I knew from my placement last summer in the Plasma Physics Group at Imperial College and she was kind enough to let me take pictures in the lab. Here they are:
