Girls With Goals: Building Your Own Path, With Lois & Year 9

This term, Year 9 had the privilege of welcoming Lois, a 2023 Alumnae, back to school to share her journey - and what an inspiring journey it has been.

From the moment she joined Year 9, Lois stood out for one simple yet powerful reason: she was never afraid to try. Even more importantly, she was never afraid to fail. She understood something that many people take years to realise, failure isn’t the opposite of success; it’s part of it.

What made Lois’s talk so impactful wasn’t simply her achievements, but her honesty.

Her time at school was not a perfectly polished success story. There were highs and lows, and at times life felt like a rollercoaster. There were tears, long conversations and moments of doubt. Yet throughout it all, Lois remained kind. She continued to say yes to opportunities. She kept showing up. Perhaps most importantly, she had and still has, that rare ability to speak to anyone and make them feel seen, valued and uplifted.

But Lois always had a clear goal to study at the University of Exeter.

The journey to get there was far from straightforward. There were obstacles, rejections and redirections. There were moments when it would have been easy to think, “Maybe this isn’t for me.” But Lois didn't give up. She believed she would reach her goal and eventually, she did. Now in her second year at Exeter, she is living proof that:

• Courage is not about never doubting yourself, it is about continuing anyway.
• Perseverance is not glamorous, it is showing up again and again.
• Success is not about getting everything right the first time, it is about never giving up on who you want to become.

Lois’s Message to Year 9

• You do not have to have everything figured out right now. What matters is being brave enough to try, to ask, to apply, to risk failing, and to create opportunities if they do not already exist.
• Resilience is not always loud. Sometimes it is simply deciding, quietly and determinedly, to keep going. Make to-do lists. Dream big. Never let anyone tell you that you cannot achieve something. Be there for your friends, because beyond school, they may well become friends for life.
• Lois reminded Year 9 that their goals are valid, their voices matter, and sometimes the path they want does not exist yet, until they create it.
• All you have to do is believe that you can.