Despite her music focused background, Kelsie has always held a deep interest in nature, volunteering with wildlife organisations, and spending time outdoors.
Kelsie’s academic journey led her to complete a four-year music degree, followed by a Primary PGCE with a specialism in science. Yet Kelsie chose to follow her love of the environment, and was successful in her application to become a trainee tutor at Field Studies Council Epping Forest. She was thrilled when she was then offered the opportunity to become a Young Darwin Scholar to help widen her knowledge and deepen her experiences.
We caught up with Kelsie to explore how becoming a Young Darwin Scholarhas shaped her career journey, experiences, and future plans.
Why Did You Apply for the Young Darwin Scholarship?
I applied for the Young Darwin scholarship as I knew how helpful the scheme could be for my own knowledge and skill development, as well as my professional development. I knew that the YDS provided three years of support and access to exclusive webinars, as well as the residential trip which offered up a number of unique learning experiences for me to develop my skills and knowledge, such as mammal trapping and going on a rocky shore ecology day.
Having come from a music background, the YDS experience gave me the opportunity to talk to like-minded young people and get further advice on potential career pathways, as I wanted to make the transition from traditional classroom teaching to working in the outdoors.
What was your experience like as a Young Darwin Scholar.
For my residential experience, I got the opportunity to visit the stunning Slapton Ley. On the first day of my residential at Slapton Ley we had Simone Bullion give us an introduction to humane small mammal trapping and how to identify the various native species. I learnt a lot about species ID, the habitats of different species and their behaviours.
We then learnt how to set up Longworth traps and placed them out late in the evening with warm bedding and food and came back early the next day to find several bank voles which was really exciting! This whole experience helped me to develop my knowledge in UK small mammal species ID, habitats and behaviours, setting up a Longworth trap and completing a record of our findings.
During our rocky shore day at East Prawle, I learnt a lot about the ecology of the habitat, developed my species ID knowledge and confidence in identifying various species on the rocky shore and enjoyed exploring the habitat with my fellow lovely group of Young Darwin Scholars.
What were the highlights of your scholarship journey?
It is difficult to say what my favourite part of the course was as it was a really interesting week full of fun and insightful activities. My favourite day was probably the visit to the National Marine Aquarium and going on a lovely boat trip where we saw how plankton are studied.
My favourite moment was probably when we saw a grey seal when we were exploring rocky shore ecology down at East Prawle. I’d never seen a grey seal before so it was very exciting! We were mindful not to get too close and looked through binoculars to try to see the seal in greater detail. It was a really special moment and I hope to see more seals out on the coast in the future! I’ve even recently done a course on UK seals which provided me with more insight into the life and behaviour of our native seals, as well as vagrant species.
How did the Young Darwin Scholarship impact your career and skills?
Being a Young Darwin scholar has helped me to develop my knowledge and skills in many areas, and given me opportunities to experience things I hadn’t before, such as the small mammal trapping, investigating plankton and seeing a grey seal for the first time! This course has helped me to develop my knowledge and skills in various areas and allowed me the opportunity to explore various habitats that I might not have otherwise had the chance to explore.
It was also really lovely to meet fellow like-minded young people who were all also on their way to getting into green careers and studying science and conservation at university.
Having the Young Darwin Scholarship network around has helped me to feel supported going into my job as a trainee tutor, and now as a full time tutor, and the exclusive webinars provide me with further opportunities to develop my knowledge.
What makes the scholarship experience unique?
Slapton Ley itself is a very unique area, with the centre itself being on a SSSI with a unique freshwater lake right by the sea! The visiting experts and team at Slapton were very knowledgeable and approachable and I was able to experience things that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to, e.g. small mammal trapping.
What advice would you give to someone considering applying?
The Young Darwin Scholarship is a brilliant experience to be a part of and it is well worth applying for. The residential gives you opportunities to explore new habitats, learn new skills and meet like-minded young people. It is also really helpful to have the three years of support and the exclusive webinars give you great opportunities to expand your knowledge further.
How did you get on with the trainee tutor scheme?
A year into my traineeship, I accepted a full time permanent role at FSC Epping Forest where we deliver educational field trips for primary and secondary schools linking the fieldwork to what they are learning in class and to the exams they will be taking, as well as enjoying being in the outdoors.
Through the traineeship, I further developed my knowledge of outdoor learning and had the opportunity to develop my social media skills. I also thoroughly enjoyed all of the training opportunities that we engaged in, such as bushcraft training and completing our lowland leader award.
Describe the impact the Young Darwin Scholarship has had on your career and future.
Transitioning to working in the outdoors has had a very positive impact on me and I’m looking forward to this next venture! I plan to attend Forest School training to develop my skills and knowledge further, as well as hoping to work my way towards a Hill and Moorland Leader followed by a Mountain Leader in the future.
Our Young Darwin Scholarship is funded by donations from the public. If you are interested in supporting our charity, you can find out more about how you can donate here.
If you are interested in applying for the Scholarship, applications open in May, and will be announced in our newsletter. You can sign up for the newsletter here.
