Polar explorer Preet Chandi returned to her Derby roots when she met pupils at a city school, encouraging them to dream big and believe anything is possible.
Preet made history earlier this year when she became the first women of colour to trek solo across the Antarctic to reach the South Pole – enduring temperatures of minus 50* as she skied 700 miles in just 40 days.
The Army medic gave two talks at The Bemrose School – one to primary school pupils and another to secondary students – with the message that they can achieve anything in life regardless of their background, race or academic abilities.
Picture shows: Polar explorer, Preet Chandi meeting pupils at The Bemrose School.
And pupils were able to put Preet through her paces by asking a host of questions about how she went to the toilet in the severe conditions, what she would do if any equipment broke, how she made contact with home and what her next challenge might be.
Preet said: “Great questions! If I needed to go to the toilet I took a shovel with me and dug a hole in the snow.
“If anything broke, I would have to repair it, so I used dental floss and a boot needle to sew up some holes in my gloves. I had a satellite phone, because obviously there was no signal, and used a solar powered charger. There was 24-hour daylight in Antarctica when I was there, so I had no problems.
“I had to call home at 9.20am every day to check-in. If I didn’t make that call, they would come looking for me, so it was important to let everyone know I was OK.
“I hope my next challenge will be to become the first woman to complete a solo walk across the continent – which is 11,000 miles.”
Preet revealed to pupils that as she endured the sub-zero temperatures and winds of 60mph she was inspired by the movie character Dory to “just keep going”.
Pupils also learned that she kept boredom at bay by listening to audio books, R&B and hip hop and that she stayed awake for 40 hours straight as she neared the end of the challenge.
Picture shows: Polar explorer, Preet Chandi meeting Sixth formers at The Bemrose School.
She brought her sled which weighed 90kg and told pupils that she changed her socks every 15 days and that while it was important to stay warm, she didn’t want to overheat as sweat freezes.
Prior to her trip, Preet said she googled “polar explorers” and she found that no one looked like her. Two weeks after her trip she googled again and there was an image of herself which filled her with pride.
She added: “I went into this not knowing anything about Antarctica, I didn’t grow up dreaming about going to the South Pole, or reading about polar explorers, but how incredible is that, to show other people you can dream big, you don’t have to be born into that world or know anything about it.”
Careers lead at the school, Claire Pavitt, organised the visit. She said: “Preet was really inspiring and truly gave our students the sense that anything really is possible. It’s so important for young people to hear about the journey involved in achieving success, showing them that determination and focus is always required to reach ambitious goals.
“Knowing that Preet comes from Derby and from a background just like theirs made the talk even more powerful.
“Her visit was inspirational for both students and staff, reminding us all that having aspirations and goals is really important and helps us to live life to the fullest.”
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