Change & Transformation

Before completing my last day at work last week, I was asked to explain more fully why I want to embark on the Camino walk. In addition to this being a personal challenge, I also want to use the walk as a sponsorship opportunity to give back to Aiglon (the school where I work) and in particular to its well-established scholarship programme. Hopefully the following short article will help to explain:

"Every working day in Aiglon’s Admissions Office is different because every visit, every family and every prospective student is unique. Being at the heart of the application process means not only making decisions which give students a chance for a change of schools, but also provides an opportunity for individuals to be transformed by the Aiglon experience.

Reflecting on over 13 years of working in admissions, overwhelmingly one of the main privileges is seeing the change in students from their ‘Day 1’ at Aiglon through to the day they leave, whether this be at our Graduation Ceremony or at other points in their school career. I have worked on campus long enough to see a number of students start with us in Year 5 in the Junior School and graduate 9 years later, and these transformations are some of the biggest.

That said, no transformation is as big as the one an Aiglon experience can bring to one of our many scholarship students. Since beginning work at Aiglon in 2010, there have been 80 scholars for whom we have been in a position to offer a place. I always feel proud talking to prospective families and others about our school, but never more so than when talking about our scholarship programme and the way it has grown over the past few years. In fact I usually get a lump in my throat, as the faces of some of those students past and present spring to mind.

When the opportunity of a sabbatical presented itself, I was keen to embark on a challenge I’ve had my heart set on for a number of years; walking the Camino in Northern Spain. One of the results of the global pandemic was that I developed a (previously untapped and undiscovered!) passion for walking, so I have decided to combine this new love with an opportunity to give back in some small way to Aiglon’s scholarship programme. So, on 1st May this year I will be putting on my walking shoes in the French/Spanish border town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the Pyrenees and embarking on an adventure which will hopefully finish 40 days and 800km later in Santiago de Compostela. I look forward to the challenge, and have a sneaking suspicion that this will be a journey for me which also results in personal change and transformation.

You can hear from some of our former scholars here, and of how young lives have been changed by an Aiglon education."

The Camino de Santiago (Frances Route): Facts & Figures

Start point: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, French side of the Pyrenees

End point: Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Distance: 800km

I'll be walking this over 35 days:

If you feel able to contribute you can do so here.

Please choose the "Scholarship Challenge" option on the drop-down menu.

If you are making a donation in a currency other than CHFs, please choose "Aiglon Scholarship Fund" as the campaign and then state "Scholarship Challenge".

Your contribution whether large or small is very much appreciated, and will help to make a meaningful difference in the lives of deserving students.

Alternatively you can make a donation via Aiglon's Scholarship Challenge webpage.

Thank You!