School Trip to Placement Student

My name is Ness; I am a placement student volunteering with Surrey Wildlife Trust during my ‘year-in-industry’ and I am proud to share my journey with the Trust from my first visit in 2019 as a school pupil, to where I am now.

In March 2019, I, and my other eco-warrior schoolmates, were invited to Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Youth Summit at Nower Wood. I remember this trip well as it was what inspired my friend and I to set up an eco-committee at our school, feeling inclined to take a lead on all things wildlife and climate change action. We strove to become role models for younger year groups and excite them about caring for our planet the way we were. As quoted from an article I wrote for my school newsletter 3 years ago, that day I “learned how to bring ideas into reality with structured thinking and planning such as coming up with pledges that I can implement within my home and school”.

CEO Sarah Jane and the education team at Nower Wood introduced the Youth Summit by sharing what the Trust does and its mission. I remember feeling energized by this hub of eco-consciousness and knowing their work was something very significant to me.

Ness at the Youth Summit — Ness (centre) presenting at the Youth Summit

2 years deep into my Biological Sciences degree at university, I came back to Nower Wood on a field trip. Carrying out plant identification, investigating soil pH at different locations, and using quadrats to collect data that we’d then use as part of our final assessment allowed me to appreciate the work the education team does for wildlife-curious students like myself. Returning as an older, more mature, and more intellectual student starting to think about career paths, I was amazed by the scope of education they were able to provide for young adults also.

Beginning to enquire about placement opportunities I could partake in during my placement year, I reached out to the education team with the support of my tutor at the university. After just a few meetings, I was offered the role which I am in today, working with the Surrey Wildlife Trust as a volunteer placement student. I will be gaining experience in everything from helping with education days at Nower Wood (where I was not long ago a visiting pupil) to developing my knowledge and skill set in regard to enhancing my degree curriculum doing research and shadowing Ecologists in surveying.

I’m hoping to get a lot out of my year with the Surrey Wildlife Trust and know I will return to university and later enter graduate employment with diverse skillsets and experience. Perhaps I’ll pick up where I’ve left off at the end of my placement year….