Lowri receives Duke of Edinburgh gold award at royal ceremony with Bethan attaining her silver award
“Going to Buckingham Palace for the Gold DofE celebration was such an amazing experience and something I’ll never forget.” Lowri Bullen
A Coleg Sir Gâr travel and tourism student has been awarded a Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award at Buckingham Palace.
Lowri Bullen, a student at the college’s Graig campus, took on a number of challenges as part of her journey towards the top award.
Everyone who achieves a gold award is invited to attend a celebration event at a Royal Palace, attended by a member of the royal family.
As part of her gold award, Lowri Bullen volunteered as a netball coach at Sospans Netball Club with the U10, U12, U14 and U16 teams where she felt she made a difference by helping young players build confidence as a positive role model.
Her proudest moment was finishing the expedition. “We had paddled the canoe for several hours a day which was challenging, but completing the expedition together as a team made it all worth it,” said Lowri.
She also learned Spanish for her skills section which she said has been really useful. “It shows I can commit to learning something new and develop communication skills, which are in important, especially in travel and tourism,” she said.
The main skills she feels she gained were in teamwork, communication, time management and leadership.
Lowri Bullen said: “The resilience I built during my DofE expedition has really helped me with my college work, especially when I feel under pressure with assignments or deadlines.
“I’m better at staying calm and pushing through challenges instead of giving up, which has made a big difference to how I manage my workload.
“Going to Buckingham Palace for the Gold DofE celebration was such an amazing experience and something I’ll never forget.
“It felt really special to have all the hard work recognised, especially after all the time and effort that goes into completing Gold DofE.
“Being there with so many other people who had achieved it as well made me feel really proud, and the whole day was honestly such a surreal experience.
“These experiences will help me when applying for university or jobs because they show I can be responsible, committed, work well with others and that I’m willing to step outside my comfort zone and challenge myself.”
The royal celebrations marked another DofE success at the college, which saw painting and decorating student Bethan Morgan, achieve her prestigious silver award.