Hi, my name is Ella Smith, I’m 21 years old and studying BSc (Hons) Rehabilitation in Sport and Exercise at Marjon University. In my spare time I enjoy swimming, playing football and travelling to discover new places and experience new things and opportunities. In the future I aspire to join the RAF as a Physiotherapist officer after completing university. I’ve always wanted to be in the armed forces since I was young, due to coming from a forces family and growing up in a naval town as well. From the age of 13 to 18 I was an active member of the Air Training Corps, which gave me so many new opportunities to develop as a person and to gain many new friends as well. From being in the ATC I have had the chance to fly planes, complete my DofE awards, gain adventure training qualifications, gain leadership skills and grow in confidence.

Furthermore, for the last 5 years I have been working as a lifeguard where I’ve been able to put these leadership skills into practice through my work as a children’s activity leader and in the role as supervisor and more recently assistant manager. Having these leadership skills has enabled me to be able to develop in my work as well as my hobbies because I have had the confidence in being able to put myself forward for supervisor roles and taken on more and more responsibility each year which has also allowed me to become more independent and allowed me to have to think for myself and others to enable the best outcomes in different situations.

As part of my DofE award I completed a volunteering section, in which I volunteered at my local football club to share my experience with the younger, aspiring footballers to assist to coach the Girls U10s through 2 seasons of training and matches, through this I was able to share my own experience in football due to playing from the age of 6.

I hope to be able to keep developing myself as a person and take on more and more opportunities and learn new skills and then be able to share these experiences in order to help others with their own development.