Daryna ‘Dasha’ Kholod, has just finished a level 2 carpentry course at St Vincent Sixth Form College.
An apprenticeship with a local marine decking company is on the horizon. Here, she remembers her first time in the carpentry workshop at St Vincent, where she met Tracy Wood, who would become her teacher.
“As soon as I walked into the class, I thought ‘Oh my God’ it smells so nice. It was a really good experience and also a female teacher seemed really kind and friendly. I just enjoyed being around her. She was really open and warm hearted. I found it hard communicating with people back then so I was just looking for people who were open and kind. I felt really welcomed here. I chose carpentry over art elsewhere and I am not regretting it.” Dasha said.
From school to college
The journey to college was far from easy. After a disrupted education in Ukraine, Dasha moved to Bridgemary School in Gosport, then on to the level 1 carpentry course at St Vincent. Her school and family worked together to arrange a chance to check out St Vincent first. Somewhat randomly, Dasha asked to see the carpentry facilities, where her love affair with that smell of timber began.
“You know that some people have favourite smells like grass and petrol. I just like timber. Your head is full of adrenaline because you feel like it. I can’t explain it. It makes you think differently. You are just at peace in that moment when you smell it. You can’t explain it. You just feel like the smell is yours. I love it, right in the heart, like an arrow.” Dasha mused.
Confidence building
Tracy has been so impressed with Dasha’s progress:
“She has been a great ambassador for the whole college. She volunteers for everything that needs doing. The biggest thing is the attitude. Her confidence is really coming out now because her English has got better. The class that she was in last year were really helpful to her. A couple of the lads took it upon themself to tell her what the different words were.”
A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Dasha has her eyes set on the future not the past, although she can see her development. Being the only girl on this practical course has not phased her. Dasha’s confidence and inter-personal skills have grown with her vocabulary.
Looking back to those early days at St Vincent, she is adamant about the hardest challenge:
“Language barrier, definitely. That’s why I have liked it when people helped me. I am really grateful to the guys for assisting me with my spelling and understanding. We are all really chatty, close and friendly.”
The future
After exploring different options, Dasha is very pleased with how things have panned out.
“I have finally found an apprenticeship. The college careers team helped me a lot with the apprenticeship. An apprenticeship for carpentry is like gold dust…because it is so rare. I am really thankful and grateful to everyone who has helped me on my journey here.”
Turning back to one of those helping hands, there’s emotion in Tracy’s voice as she thinks about Dasha’s next step, joining Moody Decking in Whiteley, just outside Fareham:
“For her to have got herself a job, she’s near enough done that off her own back. I really am proud of her. I think she is wonderful. Work’s a very good standard too. If you want something done well, get Dasha to do it.”
And that apprenticeship opportunity is one Dasha will embrace with humility:
“There’s so much to learn. You can never be the greatest but you can learn from others.” Dasha concludes.