I really struggled in school due to the anxiety I had around it which lead me to have a very hard few years where we didn’t know if I would even complete my GCSEs. However, my mum kept fighting my corner and I finished school with the rest of my year. I then went on to college which I loved! I thrived in a more independent learning style which proved that if school had just accepted a few reasonable adjustments and been open to a bit of flexibility in their traditional policies, life wouldn’t have had to be so difficult.

It was during this difficult period that I discovered pageantry and the exposure to such a supportive and empowering environment, completely separate from school life, was the distraction and confidence boost I needed. Since then I’ve been using my voice in pageantry and my Gloucestershire titles to share that the current school system isn’t set up with everyone in mind.

In pageantry, each girl chooses a cause &/ charity to support and promote as her ‘platform’ and I have chosen for mine to be Square Pegs!

I really want something good to come from my experiences and help create a system that is committed to listening to and valuing each young person’s individual experience, helping them rebuild confidence, reduce anxiety, and find paths that work for them. Fighting other young people’s corners like my mum did for me.