From organising an animal-themed day at school to attending the United Nations Ocean Conference, Cranbrook alumna Francesca Read-Cutting’s remarkable journey is a testament to her commitment and determination. Her career in marine restoration has taken her across the world, and it all started with a teenage passion she refused to outgrow. We discussed her journey from Cranbrook corridors to international work on climate and conservation efforts.

Reflecting on her school days, Francesca remembers being told that teenage passions were just phases to “grow out of”. But for her, that wasn’t true. “I think I'd give myself the advice that a lot of people can tell you that whatever you believe in as a teenager is just a quick passion moment... But now, my entire job is around marine restoration,” she says.

While at Cranbrook, she was involved with Eco-Schools and organised a successful Animal Day. At the time, it felt like “a bit of a fad,” she recollects. “Now I get to make money from that but more importantly I get to be connected with people that have those same shared values... I find that very empowering.” Her advice to current students is simple but powerful: “If you really believe in something and you’re very passionate about it, you’ll definitely find a way of finding other people that feel that way too.”

After A-Levels in History, Physics, and Maths, and Latin at AS, she wasn’t sure what was next: “I was originally looking at doing everything from linguistics to criminology to journalism.” She took two years out instead of going straight to university. “I didn't think university was going to be for me,” she says. But during her travels, a scuba diving trip changed everything. “It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. And I basically Googled, how could I make scuba diving a job?” After conducting some research this led her to marine biology, but the path into the industry wasn’t straightforward. Most university websites stated they required Biology A Level as a pre-requisite for applying to their Marine Biology course, including her preferred choice - Newcastle University. However, Francesca was determined not to be blocked by a formality, deciding instead to reach out directly to a lead lecturer on Newcastle’s Marine Biology course. By demonstrating she had plenty of passion outside of academia, such as pursuing her divemaster qualification and advocating for climate positive changes at school, she was successful at securing her spot via an interview.

After completing her studies at Newcastle, she didn’t immediately find a job relating to her degree, a common experience many students can relate to. “I got a job not at all related to marine biology... but I never gave up.” She saved up to do another internship with the Global Rewilding Alliance, connecting with people involved in “incredibly inspirational projects” around the world.

Now, Francesca is working on the Ocean Justice Series, bridging social science and marine management through a collection of webinars and discussions focused on promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion within the marine and coastal sector. They work on issues such as making the industry more accessible to those from working class backgrounds, decolonising the ocean sector, and addressing the barriers faced by those with disabilities. She notes “1/4 people are disabled in the UK, which is then a massive barrier to being able to actually form a connection with the ocean, but then also advocate for it. And we're losing out on a lot of people that could be massive champions for the ocean”. However, she is hopeful that meaningful change is underway, with “amazing organisations… getting to the root of those barriers and creating massive opportunities out of them.”

Discussing boundaries, she references that sexism remains a problem in her field, though she has been lucky to work with supportive colleagues. “There are several organisations trying to tackle [sexism] like Women in Ocean Science and She Changes Ocean” she says. She believes in listening and tackling root causes, not simply punishing without understanding. “If more people could just listen to the person who’s had the experience, and also meet the person who did the wrong thing with empathy, we could actually help them channel their energy in a different way.” This creates not just inclusive workplaces, but transformative ones where growth and accountability are strongly interconnected.

Having grown up in Belgium, Francesca spoke English and Flemish and understood French from a young age, an experience that shaped both her love of languages and her awareness of differences in culture. “That’s where my interest in linguistics came from. I loved Latin because I started realising these languages actually all shared a lot of very similar roots,” she explains. But more importantly, it taught her how different things can be from one place to another, and how those differences are rooted not in universal truths, but in national and local ways of thinking. “You're often being told that something has to be the way it is,” she says, “but actually in a completely different country, it just isn't like that at all.” That realisation opened up something more profound: “Why is that? What fundamentally is at the root of that? If you ask those questions, you start to see how much of our world is built on assumptions.” Understanding this is powerful. “Anything is possible, you just have to create the frameworks for it. You have to create the words for it. You have to create the language for it. And then suddenly, things don’t seem as impossible.”

For Francesca, “having it all” isn’t about chasing a high salary or a luxury lifestyle. It’s about building a career that lets her work on what she loves, earn a living from it, and make a true positive impact. In doing so, she proves that changing the world might just start with refusing to let go of what matters most to you.