Joanna Dring
Q. Your name?
Joanna Dring
Q. Your school?
Dame Alice Harpur School
Q. Your current occupation?
Public Relations Manager, Wells and Young’s Brewery
Q. Your favourite subject at school?
Theatre Studies and History
Q. Your best and worst memory of your school days?
Best – The whole school taking part in a Millennium showcase – lots of brilliant memories, and a real sense of camaraderie and achievement.
Worst – Cross country runs on freezing November mornings. Why?!
Q. What or who inspired you to follow your career?
My parents
Q. What do you feel you gained by attending a girls’ only school?
A huge sense of belonging, motivation and determination. I’m still very proud of the school I went to.
Q. Any advice for parents choosing a school for their daughter?
Make sure that your daughter feels comfortable. Even though I was only five or six when I looked round schools with my parents, I can remember feeling that Dame Alice somehow suited me.
Q. Any advice for girls planning their university and/or career choices?
Get as much work experience as possible to get an idea of different types of careers. I still wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted to do until my placement year at University.
If you do choose to go to university, I highly recommend a placement year because it gives you practical hands-on experience and can make you much more employable when you graduate.
Q. Any other comments?
I am extremely grateful to all the teachers at Dame Alice. I believe they really gave me the confidence to succeed in my chosen career and in the ‘real world.’
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