STAR ALUMNI
ONES TO WATCH We caught up with five high-flying alumni to find out how their school days shaped their stellar career paths
Alice Aedy, 26 Environmental activist, Godolphin & Latymer, London
Harry Stirling, 26 and Tom Woollard, 25 Entrepreneurs, Bryanston School, Dorset Growing up in the same Dorset village, Harry and Tom both attended Bryanston until they were 18. Although they attended different universities it wasn’t long before they were back together. Their combined technical knowledge and passion for building from scratch (Harry) and their ability to visualise and lead a new norm (Tom) made an ideal combinatoin with which to start Bunk, rentbunk.com. Based on their frustrations in the lettings sector, Bunk is rebuilding the landlord–tenant relationship with a focus on large portfolio managers and/ or businesses. A year since launch, Bunk is continuing to scale up across the UK. Although they have raised over £1m to date and rallied a team of 12, they are only at the beginning of their journey.
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I didn’t set out to be an environmental activist! At school I wasn’t particularly passionate about the environment but, looking back, I can see how my time at school shaped and inspired me. In the art rooms I discovered my passion for photography and the principles of inequality and injustice I learned about in my history and politics classes. In 2015, as I was finishing my history and politics degree at LSE, an iconic image changed the course of my life: a photo of a three year-old Syrian refugee who drowned on Greek shores. I found myself volunteering in the Calais refugee camp where I always had a camera around my neck and this was the start of five years documenting the refugee and migration crisis throughout Europe and the Middle East. My work as a photojournalist – published by The Guardian, The Times, the BBC and others – eventually brought me to the frontlines of climate change and protest for climate action.
independentschoolparent.com | SUMMER 2020
Elizabeth Godwin, 23 First female Officer in the Household Cavalry, Life Guards since 1660, Exeter School, Devon My interest in a military career started at Exeter School; there is a strong military link and the school gave me an awareness of the Army scholarship scheme. During my sixth form education at Trent College my aspiration to join the Army was solidified as I was given the opportunity to command a platoon within the Combined Cadet Force. This lead me to join the University of London Officers‘ Training Corps while studying at Kings College London. UOTC provided me with an insight into army life. These experiences prior to Sandhurst gave me a good understanding of how much I could benefit as an individual through a military career. This is a unique time of change in the British Army and I feel incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to serve in the ground close combat role. The decision to open all roles to women within the Army has been an extremely positive one.
Jonathan Henrich, 20 Musician, DLD College London Jonathan will be joining the eminent Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, in September, the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world where famous alumni include Quincy Jones, film and TV composers (The Simpsons, Miami Vice), rock superstars Aerosmith and Imagine Dragons, plus generations of important jazz stars. A year after leaving DLD, Jonathan will transfer to Berklee from the LA College of Music where he is reading composition and congwriting. While living in Los Angeles, Jonathan has progressed his career significantly, collaborating with some highly influential people in the sector including songwriter Zac Poor, who works with the likes of Jason Derulo, The Backstreet Boys, Kelly Clarkson and The Jonas Brothers to name but a few! In addition, Jonathan is currently working on two songs with a producer who did the sound engineering for the Oscars.
