You may or may not know this about me, but I’ve always planned on becoming a primary school teacher. However, when I was 13 my life changed forever as it was at this age I was selected to represent my country at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. And then four years later I had the honour of representing ParalympicsGB at the Paralympics once again, and this time in front of a home crowd at London 2012. The memories from these games will stay with me forever & ever. In 2008, when I was younger, I was oblivious to the pressure and just enjoyed every second. In London however it was different. The pressure of not wanting to let anyone down at a home games was enormous. All this was coupled with me being a teenager still at school. I look back and wonder how I managed to deal with it all – but when I think about it, the answer to that is the people who I had around me. I hold a huge amount of gratitude towards these individuals for helping to lay the foundations for me to thrive. From my mom & dad to the rest of my family & friends, to my coach Billy; they all deserve enormous credit for everything they did. There are however another group of people I credit hugely with helping me along the way: my schoolteachers, especially Mr Doe. It’s sometimes easy to forget all the different influences in your life, but my wonderful teachers went that extra mile in supporting me throughout that time in my life. They helped me to balance being both a student & a professional athlete and it’s something that’s stayed with me way beyond my school years. When I think about how teachers shape the lives of the students they teach it makes me smile, they bring their energy to the classroom & help their pupils reach their full potential in whatever path they do, whether it be academic or in sport. What a privilege it is to be able to impact someone’s life in that way, I hope someday to be able to do the same. If the thought of going into teaching has ever crossed your mind, I would encourage you to find out more @get_into_teaching You never know whose life you could impact. #EveryLessonShapesALife #ad