Meet the NCO's

I am Grace Olley, I am currently a six-form student studying biology, psychology, and philosophy. I have several hobbies, including the gym, hockey, and hospitality. I have a part time job as a kitchen assistant/ cook in a care home. This has given me the opportunity to listen to resident's stories which often have strong links to the RAF, which consequently has given me more insight and respect for being part of such an amazing organisation, The Royal Air Force Air Cadets.  

I joined cadets in 2017, and back then I was extremely shy and nervous. However, since then, Cadets has helped me gain confidence and teamwork skills through leadership exercises and completing activities I never thought I would take part in, like flying and shooting. My favourite part of cadets has definitely been the camps, my favourite being the wing multi-activity camp, where I took part in navigation exercises and my personal favourite, field craft, with members of the RAF Regiment.  

As I have progressed through the ranks, I have had many responsibilities. Now as a Flight Seargent, I alongside FSGT Cockburn run the NCO team and work closely with staff, helping to maintain discipline and plan fun activities. I also help support T-Flight through their first-class qualification and regularly check up on cadets' welfare, I am always happy to answer any questions or queries.  

 I am proud to be part of this organization and am thankful for everything it has helped me achieve. 

I first joined cadets in 2018, before I joined, I was a very awkward and quiet person. However, cadets has taught me how invaluable being able to communicate and convey my opinions and ideas to other is, alongside stressing the importance of these skills I have also been taught how to effectively utilise them within a team setting, either leading or acting as a team member.  

During my time in cadets, I have gained a lot of experience across several subjects, including things such as: avionics, leadership, team building, communication, and knowledge of space. My favourite activity to do whilst at cadets is leadership, this is because it was an area that I can continuously expand my knowledge and experience of. My leadership skills have also grown as I have progressed through the ranks of the ATC, now a sergeant I can confidently say that I can lead a team and assist them in completion of a task, as well as work within a team to achieve a given goal, this will be invaluable to me during my career in the RAF as I will constantly be working around others.