MADE IN WARMINSTER
“Always remember how fortunate you are to have been at Warminster and don’t take for granted all of the support and extras that are available to you. They really are the best years of your life”.
WATCH – MADE IN WARMINSTER
Although Tash Eeles (OV13) was well used to taking to the Warminster stage during her years here as a pupil, it was without doubt a ‘wonderfully surreal’ and proud moment for everyone present to welcome her back, at 24 years of age, as our youngest ever visitor to address our community and present the prizes on Speech Day 2019.
Tash joined Warminster School as an eager Year 4 prep pupil. During her time at the Prep School, Stuart Morgan-Nash had a natural way of handling her energy and enthusiasm, proving to be instrumental in shaping Tash’s long term expectations of her time at Warminster. In the Senior School, Juliette Walker fostered her innate passion for History and remembers, “Tash was always a delight to teach and a devoted historian; for her, further reading and engaging with the historic environment was a pleasure. She was determined, exceptionally hard-working and brilliant in debate. She has such an exciting future ahead of her. We are watching her Twitter feed with interest!”
Tash recalls, “Looking back, Warminster School proved to be the ideal springboard for me to embark on my current career; setting up my own business, juggling academic work with financial acumen, and having the confidence to ‘find my voice’. All of this stems from the strong, secure grounding, both pastoral and academic, that I was fortunate enough to receive at school.”
How do you feel Warminster prepared you for the next step?
Warminster nurtured my independence both of mind and on a practical level. I see now that I was always encouraged to develop my own opinions and importantly not to see it as a weakness to change them. Day to day, my experiences as a boarder in Stratton House had an enormous impact on my time at university. I didn’t experience any of the ‘settling in’ anxiety that so many undergraduates feel, I was straight into my studies and had the confidence to join social groups and immerse myself in the sport and drama. I had already learned the valuable lesson that the more you put into something, the more you get out.
What did you study in the Sixth Form and why?
From a very early age I have always had a deep love of History. I would definitely have opted for the IB if I had been as strong in any one of the sciences but I seem to have firmly Humanities genes! In the end I made what seemed like a strategic decision to study Geography and Philosophy & Ethics together with History at A Level, as my predicted grades were highest in these areas. I left with an A* and two A's plus an A* for my EPQ. However, all three subjects have now proved extremely beneficial and although I know I would have loved to have taken English, my passion for books and reading is safely intact so in a way I got the best of both worlds!
Best memories you have of the Sixth Form?
I have so many amazing memories from Sixth Form. Taking part in Phantom of the Opera will always stand out as a highlight – it was the most incredible production to be a part of and I remember being in awe of the talent of those pupils who played the main roles in our year. Ben Ecclestone was the most unbelievable Phantom! Captaining the hockey team was also a highlight – we had girls playing from Year 9 all the way through to 13. It was a tough season but I was so proud of how hard we worked to become a cohesive team. My sixth form was two years packed with laughter in the common room, social planning, making paper plate awards for Christmas dinners, more sport, more performances and of course living with my best friends in Stratton. Very happy memories.
What skills did you learn at Warminster and how did that prepare you for the world of work?
Confidence and public speaking were invaluable skills Warminster instilled in me. Today, this is a huge part of my job and it was the years of LAMDA, Poetry and Prose evenings, the endless plays and performances that all give me the confidence now to stand in front of a room full of people and talk. I am grateful too for the way staff encouraged us to adapt to events and situations around us, Community Action Day is an excellent example. We were never allowed to settle for the ‘comfortable, easy’ option and I am immensely grateful for that.
What did you study at university and why?
I studied History at Bristol University followed by a Masters in Gender and International Relations. History has been my favourite subject for as long as I can remember – but specifically I was always fascinated with modern history and the way it’s possible to trace the roots of our world today throughout the events of the twentieth century. The move to my Masters was really just adding a gendered lens and I absolutely loved every minute. Although I’d always wanted to study History, studying for an undergraduate degree felt like something that was automatically expected of me, whereas my Masters felt more personal. Justifying it to my parents and the extra financial implications was hard, although now I couldn’t be doing what I’m doing without it.
Where do you work now and what you do?
I founded Bold Voices in September last year. Working for myself is in equal parts both rewarding and extremely hard work; we are a start-up providing education on gender equality in schools. It’s exciting and every day is different – at the moment I’m in the early stages of developing the Bold Voices Platform; an online space for teachers with resources, courses and learning materials. However I recently obtained a place on the New Entrepreneurs Foundation and am applying for start-up placements at the moment and anticipating more change! I also work in collaboration with a number of other start-ups, such as Women in Foreign Policy, who are all working in my area of expertise. We learn so much from each other and it’s incredibly energising being surrounded by other like-minded, focused individuals.
Advice and tips for current Sixth Formers?
Don’t worry if you don’t know what you want to do now – you have so many more options than you think and most of them you won’t discover until they’re right there in front of you. Take a year out and travel – see as much of the world as you can. Travelling and experiencing different cultures have been enormously beneficial for me. Always remember how fortunate you are to have been at Warminster and don’t take for granted all of the support and extras that are available to you. They really are the best years of your life.
#MadeinWarminster