With exam results being published today, many students may currently be considering whether university is for them. Some may feel unprepared for university and think that they would rather do something else – for instance, volunteer work overseas.
Such was the case with Morna Spence, from Edinburgh, who chose to volunteer abroad rather than immediately attend university. She said : ”I felt that I needed to do something different, which would be impactful and also provide me with valuable experience.”
Morna decided to volunteer in Malaysian Borneo for 10 weeks with sustainable development charity Raleigh International. Morna lived and worked in the local village of Sulit Paitan to help build a kindergarten.
After a year of volunteering, Morna decided to study psychology at St Andrews University in 2010. Since graduating, she now works as a Management Consultant Analyst and believes that her time volunteering helped her discover her interest in this career.
Raleigh expeditions allow young adults aged 17-24 to contribute to sustainable development projects in several different countries. The programme offers young people the skills to develop confidence, as well as assist in several projects that are invaluable to communities around the world.
Morna says, ”Going to university can be difficult if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing. But when I was volunteering I realised what I was good at and it made me see the bigger picture.”
