The Lesson Learnt From 2016

The Lesson Learnt From 2016

As the end of 2016 is approaching I wanted to reflect upon the year. 2016 has been a rather challenging year for me due to health issues and sadly we lost a few good friends and members of our family.

Although the year has been difficult at times it has also been life affirming too. In September I officially graduated with a first-class honours degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from University of Hertfordshire. The graduation ceremony was brilliant, and although my dad was unfortunately unable to attend it was nevertheless wonderful to see my friends and tutors again. The day served as a reminder of how far I have come, from the young boy who took learning support lessons during secondary school and the teenager who had to defer his second year at university due to a Crohn’s disease flare-up. I want to thank everyone who has supported me during my time at University of Hertfordshire.

I have surprised myself by having the confidence to undergo journalism and publishing work experience in London. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at The Independent and John Murray Press, and I was given the opportunity to write some articles about living with Crohn’s disease and dyspraxia. I will definitely go forward from this with a passion to be able to pursue a career in writing.

I also managed to complete lots of the goals I set at the start of 2016. I managed to:

›          Get further involved with Radio Verulam, my community radio station

›          Develop my own projects by working on a novel and a poetry portfolio

›          Watch the films ‘Frozen’, ‘The Lion King’ and the first series of ‘Games of Thrones’ after promising to for so long

›          Raise even more awareness for Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and dyspraxia through YouTube videos, charity campaigns, newspaper articles, radio features and other blogging websites

2016 has taught me that I should always believe in myself. I will take this lesson forward into 2017, where in the upcoming weeks I will be travelling around Canada with my cousin; hope to continue raising awareness for hidden disabilities; and finally complete the tandem skydive in aid of ‘Crohn’s and Colitis UK’ and ‘Dyspraxia Foundation’.

I would like to thank you all for your continued support. You are the reason I continue to write. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2017.

2016 has taught me that I should always believe in myself...Copyright © 2016- Jake Borrett. All rights reserved.