AVUK graduates Sade and Topaz completed work experience at our London office this week. They have shared their thoughts below. 

Sade:

My name is Sade, I am 17 years old, and I am just about to start my final year of A Levels. I am studying Psychology, Business and Art Textiles. Next term at school we are starting our applications for university and I really like the idea of doing a course in digital marketing, graphics or film and media but I haven’t pinpointed the exact course I want to do yet. Therefore I was very pleased to arrange some work experience with AVUK at their London centre this week!

At school I am also studying the Leiths course in food and wine, which means once a week at school we get to cook for the whole afternoon which is great, I really enjoy it! So if I do have a change of career paths maybe you’ll see me cooking up a storm on MasterChef or a high end restaurant! …You never know!

I love being with my friends and I am currently a waitress at my local pub. I love chatting to new people and taking their orders – I really enjoy working there and its good diesel money too! I have recently learnt to drive (I passed my test three weeks after my birthday!) and I love having the freedom of being able to text my friends, plan something to do and then just pick up my car keys and go! Vinnie the Volvo and I have been on many fun road trips – I play the music really loudly and I turn into a bit of a professional singer when I am driving alone…. Poor Vinnie!

I came to AVUK this week with my younger sister, Topaz, who is also doing some work experience. Topaz and I both have cochlear implants and came to AVUK when we were younger. This week at AVUK’s London centre I have been working in the office and getting involved with lots of different jobs. It has given me a great insight into different job roles and I have done a wide range of tasks including subtitling videos, looking into Website Analytics (how many people have viewed their website, how long they view it for, so on… over the last year), making posters and being able to join in on some meetings on event planning and fundraisers coming up in the next year! I have gained a wide range of new knowledge and I also have had great fun too.

I did come here for work experience but it has also been nice chatting to some of the members of staff and being able to give ideas and opinions on things as an AVUK graduate!

Thank you to all of you at AVUK who have given me a great experience this week!

Topaz

My name is Topaz and I am 15 years old. In the last week of the summer holidays I was fortunate enough to come and do some work experience with my older sister, Sade, for AVUK at their London centre. When I was younger I had therapy sessions with AVUK’s founder, Jaqueline Stokes. My parents were both very inspired by her and by the way she thought outside the box with new and intuitive ideas. I also feel very inspired by Jacqueline and I now aspire to become an auditory verbal therapist when I am older, and help the lives of deaf children like myself as AVUK and Jaqueline did for me.

During this short week I had the opportunity to sit in with two AV therapists Frances and Noel during their sessions. I got to spend time with some adorable children with hearing impairments like my own and for me this was really interesting as I got to see the sessions from a different perspective. I now hope to get successful GCSEs and A-levels to reach my aspirations as this week has motivated me even more, the work they do every day is amazing! Seeing the little children coming in for therapy and seeing how they’ve developed is something I’d love to play a part in when I am older!

At school I take part in all sorts of sport such as hockey, netball and tennis. My favourite sports at the moment are definitely hockey and horse riding. I am currently working towards county hockey, I am part of the school team and I also play for my local town. I really enjoy hockey and my cochlear implants have never held me back in terms of sports or school life.

At the moment I am riding a horse called Desperados. I have lessons in an outdoor arena (without a radio aid), and I have been teaching my 5 year old sister and another young girl to ride. They both enjoy it so much and if they could they would ride all day, every day! I hope to attend a few Dressage and jumping competitions to gain more experience in riding and giving lessons.

At school I am currently going into year 11 therefore starting my GCSEs. I am taking Spanish as an option, and also Design Textiles, Physical Education, and Religious Studies. When I starts my A-levels I hope to take psychology and Religious studies as I really enjoy taking part in debates and putting my ideas forward, especially if I have different views or beliefs. I always seem to find that I have way too much say!

I really hope to reach my goal of becoming an AV therapist, so that I can help more deaf children and their families to reach their own goals. I feel that if I become an AV therapist I will be able to look at each deaf child’s story from a therapist’s perspective but also from the child’s point of view.