My name is Anouska Jantzen and at the end of May, I submitted my final exam of my university career, at home, in the middle of a global pandemic.
No elaborate celebrations following the completion of a gruelling law degree, no congratulating my friends, no collective sighs of relief as we all exit the exam hall, not even the opportunity to graduate (at least not for some time, anyway). I, along with tens of thousands of other graduates and students, am entering a world, different to that which anyone in this generation has ever experienced. The things life throws at us can be incredibly unnerving, especially as a student, and we need all the help we can get when it comes to navigating our lives.
As part of the Ivy House family, I have been brought up around much of the information that the Ivy House Award teaches, so I’ve been implementing the learnings for some time. This certainly doesn’t mean I utilise the learnings perfectly every time, far from it. What it does mean, though, is that I’ve had a fair bit of time to apply and understand the lessons over and over, from quite a young age.
I was over the moon when Ivy House decided to give sixth-form students this learning, it’s perfect timing. Doing the Award last year triggered renewed thinking about the concepts, how they’ve helped me throughout my life and my educational career so far, and how they can continue to help me as life progresses. So, I want to share my experiences and my thinking. The Award has kept me motivated, grounded, improved my relationships and helped me look forward to the future. These are just a few of the benefits I’ve experienced, there are so many more.
Personal and professional development can begin at any age, and most of the time it’s not considered until much later down the line, but why should it wait? The sooner we start learning about our lives and how we can improve them, the sooner changes will start to materialise, and we can be on our way to our ideal lives. Students have the opportunity to fast-track this process through the Ivy House Award. Why wait?
Follow Anouska’s experience of The Award on Twitter, using the hashtag #AwardandMe
