Alex attended Hymers College from 1997 to 2004, before going on to study Education at the University of Plymouth and then a Masters in Digital Technologies, Communication and Education at the University of Manchester.  She recently received her promotion to Second Lieutenant from her dad, Captain Richard Summers, the Detachment Commander at Hymers.  Many alumni will also remember him as their biology teacher, as he has taught the subject at Hymers for more than 30 years.

In order to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the ACF detachment at Hymers, Alex is trying to re-establish contact with past cadets from the Hymers Detachment.  If you were a cadet at Hymers, please contact Alex on YH-sceo@rfca.mod.uk who would be interested to hear from you.

Below, Alex tells us about her time in the cadets at Hymers and her life in the detachment.

23 years ago, I made the decision to join Hymers Detachment Army Cadet Force, and I can honestly say it’s been the decision that has had the greatest positive impact on my life.

Over the course of 6 years, I learned how to communicate and work with people from all walks of life; how to manage and lead groups; how to plan and deliver a lesson (long before I embarked on teacher training at university); how to save a life and how to walk into a room full of strangers and come out with friends – all skills that have paid dividends in life beyond Hymers. Along the way I developed a sense of self-confidence and self-belief that I didn’t have before; I became more disciplined and resilient.

My cadet career culminated in my final Summer camp, where I led a Company of 25 senior cadets and adult staff to deliver two, one-week camps for 200 of the county’s most junior cadets – I reflect back now on the insane level of responsibility on 18-year-old shoulders, and it certainly wasn’t an easy two-weeks but it was an experience that has opened more doors for me than anything else.

Not content with my cadet adventures being over at that point, I re-joined the detachment after university as an instructor to help ensure that the next generation of students at Hymers College had the same opportunities I have had. Fairly immediately I joined an expedition to the Indian Himalayas where we took 17 cadets, including one from Hymers, up a mountain called Kanamo that stands 6000m tall – around the height of Everest Base Camp.

I continue to support the running of the detachment and we have some exciting training planned for the cadets this year, especially as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the ACF detachment here. I’m also lucky enough to earn a living from my passion and in September 2021 was appointed to the role of Schools Cadet Expansion Officer for Yorkshire and Humber. This means I support Contingent Commanders and schools’ Senior Leadership Teams across the region to develop and grow their Combined Cadet Forces – 24 schools in total.