Joeleen did
conservation work as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Award, volunteering with the
Mourne Heritage Trust. The work included rhodeodendron surveys in the Mournes,
monitoring and mapping the spread of this invasive species to prevent it
causing problems such as those in Snowdonia, as well as picking up litter and
planting trees. On the beach in Kilkeel, volunteers built wire fences to fight
erosion.
Joeleen followed
through to achieve her gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, and acquired an ongoing
interest in ecology, which was recognised when she was awarded the Jean Forbes
Award for environmental studies. This summer Joeleen held a seasonal position
with Murlough Nature Reserve. During that time she came across photos of
Murlough from wartime, when the dunes were devastated after years of being used
as an army base. When the area first became a nature reserve, a lot of work was
done to protect the natural landscape. Now, one dune is reserved for jumping,
allowing the others to be conserved.
The dunes have changed over time but continue to be enjoyed by many people,
such as local children who participated in ‘beach comber day’, a fun event which
Joeleen organised, focusing on environmental awareness.
As a teenager,
Joeleen knew that her priorities for life after school were art history and
travel. When it came to picking exam subjects, she was clear what she wanted to
focus on, and studied Art, History, Technology and Design at A Level. She was
always interested in working in art conservation, but this is a very
specialised subject, so she applied for university courses in art history,
leaving the possiblity of specialised art conservation work open.
Joeleen chose to
go to university in Aberdeen, where she ‘had a really good time’, even though
she went ‘a little bit reluctantly’ at first. Joeleen’s ‘heart had been set’ on
studying in Dublin, but they didn’t receive one of her A Level grades in time,
so she didn’t get her first choice. Now, though, she is ‘glad it ended up like
that’ because she was pushed ‘out of her comfort zone’. If she had studied
closer to home, she ‘could have got the bus home every weekend’, and not had
the experience of a whole new environment she got in Aberdeen. It took Joeleen ‘about a month to settle’ in Scotland,
after which she enjoyed her time there very much. She also got to spend a year
of her degree in Canada on an academic exchange programme.
After graduation,
Joeleen moved back to Newcastle for a while. She worked in a Special
Educational Needs unit in a local primary school and in Soak Seaweed Baths,
saving money to go to New Zealand, where she spent a year doing seasonal jobs,
working in farms and vineyards. She has always loved travelling, and her time
abroad has just made her ‘more unsettled’ and eager for the next trip.
This Autumn, Joeleen
left for Cornwall, to start an MA in Curatorial Practice at Falmouth. She was
delighted to get a place on the course, which is based on contemporary art. The
college has around 3000 students and the course runs in partnership with Tate
St. Ives and Newlyn Art Gallery. A career in curating is a possibility,
but as this is such a niche business she is keeping her options open. Joeleen
thinks that students are best following paths that interest them. ‘No matter
what the news says – if you’re
doing something you’re not happy with, there’s not much point’.
