Flo Irvine

I joined St Joseph’s Sixth Form in 2009 on a Music & Drama scholarship and was immediately blown away by the supportive and friendly community that I was welcomed in to – and am still proud and lucky enough to be a part of.

I loved my time at St Jo's, choosing to do every creative subject possible besides from Art – Photography, English, Music and Drama. I wasn’t thinking of a career at this point, I only wanted to do what I loved. I was lucky enough to able to pursue these subjects with no questions asked. I took part in all the drama shows and musicals and sang in a band for a few years during and after college.

In my time at St Jo's I was inspired by many teachers and peers, in particular Mr Davey, who became a really great friend and was always incredibly supportive. By the second year of 6th form, everyone else had dropped out of Music & Drama. My friends stepped up to help and I enlisted some classmates and a few of the rugby lads to perform, which they gladly did – a great example of the ethos that is instilled in the St Jo's community.

After 6th form, I spent three years at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, initially studying Performing Arts which I then changed to a Popular Music degree in my second year. After losing two grandparents in the space of a month to Dementia, I was convinced that I wanted to become a music therapist to help those suffering with the awful disease. After I graduated University, I ended up feeling lost. I’d lost my passion for the arts and my mental health was taking a toll – to be honest I didn’t feel like myself anymore. So, instead of studying for my Masters, I flew to Australia on an impulse and ended up staying for two years.

I came back three years ago after working in a travel sales job in the Gold Coast. I ended up landing a job in Marketing back in Ipswich and I fell in love with it. Since joining my most recent job at Friel – which is a marketing agency based at Fox’s Marina, I’ve recently been promoted from Marketing Executive to Associate Director – a role which, when I was younger, I would have never, ever imagined myself in. I feel incredibly lucky to work in an inclusive and supportive company that champions its employee’s growth and invests in its staff.

The moral of the story is anything is possible if you work hard enough. Life is too short, so take every opportunity you can, do what you love and don’t need to let what subjects you study define your future. Finally, remember that the dark cloud doesn’t last for ever, it always passes to reveal the sun.

I’m so sorry but I didn’t get a chance to record anything (that I was happy with) – so here’s a video from 5 years ago when I was at University