Throughout my teaching career, I developed a growing concern for the mental well-being of certain students and sought ways to provide assistance. This led me to pursue a master's degree focused on self-harm and suicide prevention strategies in schools. Using existing research and theory, I developed and delivered targeted interventions for at-risk adolescents who engaged in self-harm or had attempted suicide.

This experience guided me to my current role as a PhD researcher at Edge Hill University and served as inspiration for my Fellowship proposal. The aim of my Fellowship is to investigate effective methods of incorporating schools into the national suicide prevention strategy, with the goal of informing policy and practice in the UK. During visits to Australia and the USA, I will observe and explore school-based programmes that have been identified as effective in reducing suicides.

Additionally, I have a personal understanding of the devastating impact of suicide, having lost my little brother in 2021. His absence is deeply felt every day.