A Taste of London Life

Welcome to the blog posts of Cohort 2! We've had a busy summer, but as we near back-to-school time, we look back to an amazing summer of 2025. First up, rising sophomore Miss Ashlee getting a taste for London life:

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This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to travel across the world and spend a full week exploring the beautiful city of London. I have never traveled outside of North America without  relatives, let alone a group of kids I met only a handful of times, so this was a new experience for me. The months and weeks leading up to it were a bit stressful due to the prep work we had to do but in the end it was so worth it. In London, I was able to see iconic sites, learn London’s history, meet new people, try new foods, learn about career options and valuable lessons that I can apply to my life.

White Tower at Tower of London

The Sunday Roast had yummy potatoes

Quick stop at St. Paul's Cathedral before Lloyd's of London

On our first day in London, we were introduced to the city’s underground subway system. While riding the subway (or as the locals would say: the tube), I was impressed how the system works and plays an essential role in the everyday life of locals. It made me have a little more gratitude for being able to go on car rides because I find them relaxing, but I realized that London looked cleaner and maybe that was due to the fact that there were no gas stations or an excess amount of cars. Also due to the decreased number of cars, people walked and rode their bikes more which made me happy because in my neighborhood there are a lot of old people, but since the streets are so busy, they don’t get to enjoy walking. Realizing this, I decided that in the future I should make choices that not only benefit me but also others. Choosing to ride bikes to work would hopefully inspire others to do the same and not add to the overpopulation of cars.

Continuing the week, we visited three companies: BBC, Apple, and Lloyd’s of London. I’m glad we did because each time we visited one, I would leave questioning things about myself that I’ve never thought about before like: “In what way am I advocating for myself?” and “How can I make a good first impression with everyone I meet?” The self reflection came because we talked to people at each company and were blessed enough to hear their non-linear paths and how they ended up at their dream position. 

HIGH BEAM family at tea

The week seemed to be flying by and I was sad to see that it was already Friday. I was reflecting on all the marvelous places we went aside from the big companies and what came to mind was the National Gallery, Greenwich Park, double decker bus tour, Buckingham Palace visit, and touring Tower of London. Every time I visited a new place I always left in amazement. The Tower of London (some parts of it being more than 700 years old) was by far my favorite. The architecture was great, but some of the things that happened in between those walls were horrendous. People were tortured, abused, and hurt. Some people may look back on this and see it as barbaric behavior (I believe it is) but it’s not far from what happens now in society. Not to the same extent because people are not getting tortured in exactly the same way, but people still get physically, mentally and verbally hurt. This is another example of visits making me reflect on my life, which is the opposite of the gruesome history of the tower. I try to advocate love and peace, by doing things that aren’t too different from what some ladies of that period did like discussing faith, reading the bible and helping the less fortunate.

I am so happy and grateful that HIGH BEAM was able to give me this opportunity that allows me to be independent. I learned that it’s ok to make mistakes but that it’s even better to learn from them as well as accept them. Thanks to this trip, I have a better understanding of what careers are available to me and that the path to find the career that suits me will not be linear. Breaking stereotypes was a common theme throughout the trip and as we talked to people, it was nice to hear how different or similar their life in another country was. I hope to go back again one day because the people in my experience were all friendly—not a frown in sight— but for now I will just enjoy the memories I’ve made this summer.