Meet our Fellows

Young Stars Walking the Camino de Santiago: 2024

Genie, Michelle, Jeremy, Jason and Cassidy 

The Fellowship awards we were granted helped fund a hiking trip with Young Star Mentoring where we embarked on the Camino de Santiago. This ancient pilgrimage spans the beautiful landscapes of northern Spain, which has been walked for nearly 1000 years by millions of pilgrims. 

Over 3 weeks we have walked an incredible 268 km on the trail together, hiking approximately 23.3 km per day on average. Together, we navigated rugged terrain, shared meals, and offered support to one another, embodying the essence of teamwork and solidarity. We hiked while carrying all equipment in a rucksack, staying in albergues alongside other pilgrims from all over the world, until eventually reaching the milestones of Santiago, Finisterre, and Muxia. This adventure presented us with a physical challenge that tested us in many ways, in terms of confidence, health, and well-being. The trip has benefitted us as a team and has been a journey of insight and transformation physically and mentally. We have accomplished our goals to strengthen resilience and, for many of us in particular, to encourage discipline, both skills transferable to work and personal life. The team enjoyed meeting and travelling with new peers and the chance to disconnect from normal life and technology for the duration of this project. Through this opportunity, we have discovered the significance and benefits of a pilgrimage- which has had a unique meaning for each of us.

When asked what the experience has meant to us personally:

“Working within a team has put me in a position where I grasped the fact that my own decisions will impact the entire group, which was a setting that encouraged me to work on my individual actions and uphold a heightened level of responsibility. As a result, I believe my resilience has developed exponentially, which has allowed me to grow a self-confidence that will continue to encourage and inspire me when faced with challenges going forward.”

“The Camino really does test your limits, forces you to confront any fears/doubts that have been clouding your judgement in your everyday life, and changes your body massively along with your mindset without even realising it. As soon as I realised the journey was over, I missed doing the Camino and it made me think of all the other ways I can change my life and more hikes I could do that would push me as much as the Camino did. The Camino was a huge stepping stone that I thought I wouldn’t get passed but I did. I’m not perfect but I am strong, resilient, motivated, generous, and kind-hearted – all things that the Camino made me realise I always had deep within me, and I thank the Camino for that.”

“Some of the highlights of my Camino experience: getting to meet pilgrims from all over the world, often sharing our journey and reasons for embarking on the Camino. We often met pilgrims along the way/ in albergues and then would later bump into them- this was like reconnecting with a long-lost friend.”

“Through the Camino some of us discovered walking to be both a physical and mental exercise. I found it to be a reflective experience, which taught me the importance of exercise for physical and mental health and has pushed me to focus on my health throughout other aspects of my life.”

“My favourite reminiscence from the trip would have to be Cruz de Ferro, it was such a special experience, the whole group really made the most of it and you could feel that. When Carsten (volunteer) started singing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' with his ukulele, I had never felt such a strong sense of belonging, despite being surrounded by strangers in a foreign country. I gave it my all mentally and was able to recognise, feel, validate, and release so much more than I had originally planned to.”

“The Camino has been a substantially transformative experience, I feel so much more connected to the world and people around me. This has been by far the most significant expedition of my life up to date and has been incredibly fulfilling. Not only has it given me a sense of comfort within myself but I feel that I have found myself. I knew I would benefit heavily from the trip but my expectations have been far exceeded and I am so grateful that I was given this opportunity.”

Francesca: 2024

Social Anthropology undergraduate, University of Manchester

My Fellowship award aided my participation in a month-long volunteering partnership between the University of Manchester, and Rwandan based social enterprise Azizi Life. I was accepted onto the programme and tasked, as part of the ‘business team’ sub-team, to increase tourism to Azizi Life by creating, marking and marketing hiking routes in the surrounding area. The fund allowed me to participate more in the local community, and cultural activities, benefiting my immersion in the experience. By working on a group project towards a shared goal, I learnt how to communicate more effectively, how to work as a team to deliver a shared goal, in line with the company's requirements and gain an understanding of Rwandan culture through people who I now consider dear friends. And most significantly I learnt about myself and my emotional intelligence, as interacting, networking and befriending people with very different lives and circumstances to me made me rethink my priorities and reflect on my own experiences and choices. I know that these skills will aid me in my Social Anthropology degree and are transferable to other jobs and projects. I am incredibly grateful for the Westham House Fund for allowing me to embrace all the development, challenges and memories that this project has given me, and I encourage everyone to apply and try their luck, as it can help you more than you can imagine.   

Seb: 2023

A Level Student, Kenilworth

I put my Fellowship award towards a two-week Cultural Immersion and Language Development Internship in China. I secured an unpaid internship at a financial insurance company in China and stayed with a friend in Beijing minimising my costs and providing me with an opportunity to develop my conversational Chinese in a fully immersive environment in a way that language lessons in the UK cannot.

The internship was an incredible learning experience, and this trip has allowed me to combine my love for language learning with my interest in economics and Chinese culture. I have gained a greater fluency in the Chinese language, a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, made new friends in China, and gained valuable insights into their professional world. I am going on to study politics, philosophy, and economics at university but plan to continue my Chinese language development alongside my university studies. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity that Westham House Fund has provided me and encourage anyone considering applying for the funding to do so.