On Monday, 22nd January, Christ the King College was pleased to welcome Major Scotty Mills, who has worked with football's Lionesses, as a guest speaker for their sixth formers.

Members of staff had previously listened to Scotty Mills speak. They were inspired by his words, inviting him to deliver a similar talk to students, as shared by Lisa Brinton, Senior Leadership Team member and organiser of his visitation. 

Spending 32 years as an Officer in the Royal Marines, he’s been a Physical Training and Sports Specialist and Head of Performance for the 6,500 Royal Marine Green Berets before resigning in 2019.

Currently, he works with teams to inspire them to achieve by developing a “Commando Mindset.”

Isle of Wight County Press: Delivering his talk at Isle of Wight school, Christ the King College.Delivering his talk at Isle of Wight school, Christ the King College. (Image: Lianne Ponferrada)

Most recently, he’s worked with the Lionesses from 2018 to 2023.  

He shared personal stories including failure, discrimination and personal growth, encouraging “cheerfulness in the face of adversity.”

Hayley Conway-Hughes, Head of Christ the King Sixth Form, described his presence as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” strongly encouraging students to attend his motivational talk, especially those aiming to work in the military or sports leadership. 

Although, other students still benefitted from the experience as Jasmine Latif (Year 12 student) expressed: “The talk was useful and motivating, especially since it was based on true events. I enjoyed listening to Scotty talk about his experiences as a person of colour. As an ethnic minority, it taught me to not fear judgement, or allow it to impact me.”