Laurence Hawker left Colyton in 2011 and went onto study Geography at the University of Lancaster and followed on with a MSc and PhD. Laurence visited school and shared his journey with our students and staff. He shared with us the fantastic placement in his undergraduate course and encouraged students to make the most of these opportunities. Laurence is now a postdoctoral researcher, using computer modelling to make predictions and making live and relevant reports for use by the government for natural disaster planning (such as Pakistan). Laurence has contributed to Geography by developing a new programme to map the topography of the world (particularly relevant to developing countries).  

Laurence clearly demonstrated our school value of ‘scholarship’ to our students, encouraging them to follow a rewarding career in Geography. He met with his Geography teachers Mr Stidwell and Miss Hickey.