For our Alumna of the Month interview, we spoke to Ally Ware, Marketing Manager in the charity sector.
Ally joined Bromley High School in 2004 and left in 2011, after studying A-level History, English, Art and AS level French. She read American Studies; History, Politics & Literature at the University of Nottingham.
Please can you briefly describe your current role?
I am the Marketing Manager at Charitable Travel, a not-for-private-profit social enterprise travel agent which works to generate donations to charity through holiday bookings. When you book your holiday with Charitable Travel we sacrifice our travel agent commission, allowing you to make a donation to the value of 5% of your holiday cost to a charity of your choice. I manage a small team, and am responsible for delivering all website content, social media management, paid search, SEO, partnership marketing and more, all in accordance to the marketing strategy I develop alongside our Managing Director.
How did Bromley High School help shape your future career?
Bromley High shaped my career by allowing me, in my own time, to discover what it is that truly drives and motives me. I was never pushed into a certain career path, instead my sixth form indecision over what I wanted to “do” as a career was encouraged and this approach enabled me to adopt a ‘do what makes you happy’ attitude, and this has enabled my career to date. I have always made decisions based on what makes me happiest, and it’s taken me down a fantastic path and I can’t wait to see where it will lead me from here.
What aspects of Bromley High School did you most enjoy, and find most rewarding?
During my time at Bromley High, and since leaving in 2011, the most rewarding and enjoyable thing I’ve taken forward with me has been the incredible friendships I am lucky to have. I am part of a group of friends who have all been through secondary school together, all taken different paths in terms of careers, but who are as close as ever ten years on. Some of these friends I made in Year 7, nearly 17 years ago, and who I grew up with, and some I became friends with in Year 12 and 13 as we collectively made big decisions about our future. It’s very rare to maintain such strong friendships and this is something I’ll be forever grateful for.
What is your favourite memory of being at Bromley High School?
My favourite memory of being at Bromley High was being able to take part in World Challenge in Year 12. I was one of a group of 19 girls who travelled to Kenya, where we trekked a volcano, volunteered at an orphanage for disabled children, climbed Mt. Kenya and really took a leap outside of our comfort zones over a month long period. There were some definite highs and lows over the month but the trip demonstrated to me that there are only the limits you set yourself in life, and that it’s how you react to challenges and adversity that defines you.
What value do you get out of your connections with your fellow alumnae?
My friendship group from school is without a doubt the best thing I’ve taken away with me. I can’t value them enough. It’s been amazing growing up together, making decisions about our careers and future lives together and then actually living out those plans through our twenties. They are an invaluable support network, and the longevity of the friendship is incomparable.