Sunderland School Makes Waves with Shark Behaviourist for Career Inspiration

Consilium Evolve, a specialist alternative provision school in Sunderland, welcomed world-renowned shark behaviourist Cristina Zenato based in the Bahamas to inspire students. Famous for her fearless work removing fishing hooks from sharks she spoke to students about her unconventional career path and the importance of overcoming fear to seize new opportunities.

The online Q&A session was part of a newly launched series designed to inspire students with emotional and social school avoidance issues. These live discussions aim to help students explore career possibilities, showing them that no matter their personal challenges, they can still achieve great things and turn their dreams into reality.

The series was inspired by National Careers Week, which promotes careers guidance across the UK, with the first session featuring Ms Zenato. She spoke to students about her work as an ocean and cave explorer, shark behaviourist and conservationist, sharing her unconventional career journey and powerful insights on overcoming fear.

Ms Zenato discussed how fear can be both a powerful and limiting force. She explained that when managed properly, fear helps us survive, but when it dominates our thoughts and actions, it prevents us from living the life we're meant to live.

She highlighted how fear often holds us back and then she flipped it on its head to say: “But what if we used fear as a source of motivation instead? What if we let it propel us forward rather than paralyze us?”

Robert Bell, headteacher at Evolve and the mastermind behind the series, explained: “At Evolve, we want our students to see that the world is their oyster. No matter how unconventional their journey may seem, there is an entire ocean of possibilities out there. Cristina’s story is a perfect example of how facing challenges head-on and pushing past fear can open doors to incredible achievements.”

The Q&A series will continue throughout the year, featuring remarkable individuals from a variety of industries who have charted their own course to success. By bringing these inspiring voices into the classroom either in person or virtually, Evolve is helping students break free from limitations. If you would like to be a speaker then please contact the school directly.