You will have noticed that, over the last few weeks, names and faces have appeared on the windows of the science corridor, starting with Dr Louisa Martindale, Brighton‘s first female GP and a pioneer in women’s health. You will have noted the faces of Rosemary Coogan, the European Space Agency’s first UK female astronaut, and Jasmine Birtles, a journalist and money expert. These people, of course, are part of the history of this school – all were once students here. They are the past. But the reason why we’ve done so much this year to celebrate them, to share their stories, is that we believe they have an important part to play in your future.
And there are two reasons why I believe this. One: they are all pioneers, and by that I’m not simply referring to the fact that they have achieved great things in their respective fields – they’ve all done that – or that they have led the way for women – they’ve all done that too – but I’m using the word ‘pioneer’ in a very specific sense and one that relates directly to you.
The word pioneer comes from a 16th century French military term denoting a member of the infantry – their job was to lead the way, to go ahead of everyone else and prepare the path for others. I think you should see these people as part of your infantry, your crew. These people have shown the paths you can take from this very school. As these faces appear on the windows, you can imagine that each one is a gateway to a possible future. These brilliant individuals are like torchbearers, illuminating the way ahead, helping you to see the options available and to believe that anything is possible. In fact, speaking of torchbearers one is quite literally holding a torch, the Olympic torch in fact. Karen Pickering went to this school and went on to be an Olympic swimmer.
So that’s the first reason why I think these faces from the past have an important part to play in your future. They are pioneers and torchbearers. The second reason is connected to the first and concerns something that arguably carries even greater power. Despite the varied and disparate pathways, there is something all these individuals have in common and something they share with you. You have all of course been through this school. You may remember that GDST Spirit film, which asks the question, “How do you know a GDST Girl?” And the response given by one of the speakers is this: “You’ll note it in her achievements, but you’ll see it in her spirit.“
Over the last few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to meet many former students – some recent leavers, some who left a long time ago – and it’s given me a chance to ponder: what is this GDST or, more specifically, this Brighton Girls spirit?
Last week we welcomed back Reverend Dr Margaret Joachim MBE from the class of 1967, and she provided part of the answer. Margaret Joachim left the school at the end of the 60s, having been encouraged to believe that she could do anything she set her mind to. She had been taught that there were no limits to what she could achieve. So she set off down her chosen path. For a while, things were looking good. She went to Oxford University to study Geology. She graduated with the highest grades awarded that year for her subject – and she was the only woman on the course. But then, as Margaret explained to us, she discovered that it wasn’t true that she could do anything she wanted. She described to us a whole string of occasions where she’d been knocked back. The first was when she applied to be part of the British Antarctic Survey, and was told she couldn’t. Why? Because there were no women’s toilets on the boat. The examples kept coming, examples of barriers she had encountered at every turn. So back to the GDST spirit. Evidently, the belief and confidence to feel that you can achieve anything is clearly not enough. There must be something else.
Well, a couple of weeks ago, we were delighted to host some recent leavers – a.k.a. the young alums. When I was listening to these former students they provided another part of the answer. There was Marietta, former Head Student, who told me she’d had a challenging second year at university. About 30 students had been told that, due to reasons beyond their control, they would not get the 3rd year placements abroad they had requested and had been working hard to organise. Marietta had been due to go to Valencia. “What’s your plan B?” I asked. “Oh, I’m going to Valencia”! said Marietta – and then she told me how she had formed a plan, spoken to all the key people, and refused to take no for an answer. She made it happen. Then there was Molly, Head Student last year who arrived at York University to discover the course was not what she had hoped. One polite email later, armed with excellent grades, and she got herself a transfer onto the Politics, Philosophy and Economics course. She’s had to work hard to catch up, but she’s done it. She made it happen.
So, there is something here about the spirit of resilience, the determination not to give up when things don’t go to plan. Life is a labyrinth – when you reach an impasse, you must either find a way through or look for an alternative and choose a different path. Both require self-confidence and self knowledge. But those moments, if and when they arise, will feel less daunting thanks to those pioneers who will be ahead of you, showing the way. Or sometimes just showing you that there is a way, that there will be a way.
Back to the story of Margaret Joachim. She went into politics. She stood as a Liberal MP three times and, although she wasn’t successful (as she explained in her day, safe seats were often given to the male candidates) she has campaigned tirelessly to get more women into politics. She held such roles as Chair of the Women’s Liberal Democrat and joined such initiatives as the Shareholder Question Scheme, which encouraged women to buy a single share in a company, which would then give them the right to attend the AGM and ask difficult questions of the board (for example, “Why are there no women?”). Throughout her life, she has been a brilliant pioneer, a pathfinder and a torch-bearer. And you may think that, thanks to people like Margaret Joachim, all the hard work has been done but, in her words, “there is still an awful lot to do”.
So, choose your path, be ready to change that path if it doesn’t work out and remember, as you move forwards, keep looking back: in the stories of those who came before, you will find inspiration; in the faces along the corridor, you will find encouragement; and, as you progress, you will find in yourselves that unique spirit that binds you all together.
Their past is part of your future. They are your personal pioneers. They are your torch bearers.
And just one last thing: from this point onwards, the torch also passes to you.
