“I was born with cerebral palsy, which means my mobility and communication are particularly affected. This made life difficult for me, and I’d often get frustrated and angry with myself.

I’d always dreamt of a career in Travel and Tourism after studying this at college, but I found it so difficult to find work. It was very disheartening.

That was until I found out about The Prince’s Trust 12-week Team programme. I wanted to build my confidence, make friends and develop strategies for handling different situations. I met the brilliant staff and other young people like me, who supported me to do things I would have never imagined before.

Activities included a team residential trip to the New Forest where we were encouraged to plan and cook our meals, carried out a community project of painting, sanding and gardening at a daycentre for severely disabled young adults as well as upcycling a set of deckchairs from Cunard’s flagship Queen Mary 2 that are currently being auctioned to raise money for The Trust. I presented all that we did over the 12 weeks to an audience at Carnival House. I couldn’t believe it a few months later when our Team won a Prince’s Trust Award for our community project!

I had continued to dream of a career in travel, and Carnival UK got in touch and invited me to a series of assessment days. The activities ranged from preparing for and undertaking an interview with their resourcing team, to learning all about the organisation and going on board!

Initially I took part in a two week work placement, where I went around the shoreside business, completed different tasks and shadowed the team in different departments e.g. post room, accounts, maritime, and the call centre. I really enjoyed it!

Then I was able to secure a job working for the Carnival UK Facilities and Accounts Payable team. It is a fantastic experience working and supporting the goings-on of one of the leading figures in the cruise industry.

I absolutely love my new role at Carnival UK. I’m enjoying every second of it.

The advice I would give to anyone who ends up in the same position that I was in, is to never give up on trying to achieve what your dreams are. I’m a big believer of following your dreams and trying the best you can to achieve them whatever your challenges in life.”

Discover more about The Prince’s Trust’s partnership with Cunard.