Sarah Ward
1. When you were at Brighton & Hove High School, and what is your fondest memory of school?
I started in Upper 3 (Year 7) in 2000 and was there through to A-levels in 2007. I absolutely loved being in Sixth Form generally, there was a great group of us and it really felt like everyone just got one with everyone – we had a lot of fun!
2. Who was your favourite teacher and why?
Mr Marsh (Chemistry) was just a great teacher all round – he made learning fun and managed to get things across in a way that made sense to me. I have great memories of his fart machine that he took great pleasure in hiding in the corridor outside the ground floor science labs, setting it off when someone walked past!
Also Mrs Howell (Geography), she was just a lovely, caring teacher who just wanted the best for us all.
3. What were the benefits of being in an all-girls school?
I went into adult life without questioning that there was anything I couldn’t do simply because I was female. This wasn’t specifically taught to us, I think it was just an organic by-product of the school environment.
4. What did you want to be when you ‘grew-up’?
My interest in the marine environment started when I was about 14, at which point I knew that was where I wanted my career to go. Before that I was completely unsure – I’d thought about being a vet or working with animals in some capacity.
5. What do you do now, and what are the most rewarding and challenging parts of your job?
I work for Sussex Wildlife Trust as their Marine Conservation Officer. It’s an incredibly rewarding job as we’re working to protect the natural environment and wildlife of Sussex. My role is super varied, working on influencing policy, advocating for the marine environment, and leading volunteer citizen science programmes. Working with volunteers is incredibly rewarding and I’m so grateful to have some brilliant people involved. This line of work has its challenges and you have to have a strong backbone, particularly when an environmental decision is made against what you’ve been trying to influence / campaign for.
6. What are you most proud of so far?
Last year a site off the Sussex coast (called Dolphin Head) was designated as a Highly Protected Marine Area – one of only three of these kinds of protected areas in English waters. I put the site forward for designation in the early stages of the process – of course I cannot take responsibility for it’s ultimate designation but am incredibly proud to have been a part of the process.
7. What was the best piece of advice you were given whilst at Brighton?
Mrs Howell – “get out more!”. She absolutely said this in gest to our small A-Level group as we clearly spent more time at parties / socialising than getting out and seeing the natural world around us. I’d like to think she’d be proud of how much I get out in the natural world these days!
8. What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?
Take the opportunities that come your way, and seek out opportunities you want to pursue.
9. What book, film or piece of music would you recommend to your younger self and to your fellow alumnae?
My favourite book I’ve ever read is called ‘Spirals in Time’ by Helen Scales. It’s not a particularly profound choice, but just a hugely interesting book about sea shells. It’s written in such a way that anyone can enjoy it and I am forever recommending it to people.
10. How would you like to be remembered?
I tend to pour my heart and soul into things I care about so I’d love to be remembered as such – both in my personal and professional lives.
