OBE honour for Karen Turner

On 28th of November Karen travelled to Buckingham Palace with her family for the Investiture Ceremony where she was presented with her award by Princess Anne.

The OBE was awarded in recognition of her ‘Services to Education, Speech and Drama and Minority Ethnic Communities in Northern Ireland’.

Karen reflected that it was an experience of a lifetime, and she felt deeply humbled by the recognition. However, she felt it was important to stress that this was really an award reflecting the hard work and child focused commitment of the small Intercultural Education Service Team.

The team work tirelessly to ensure that children from communities who might struggle to understand and access the NI education system are supported to settle successfully into our schools. The team works directly with parents, children, other EA services, schools and voluntary community sector partners to ensure children can fulfil their potential through education. The communities they work with have faced hardships many of us could never imagine, but through trusted relationships, the team tries to ensure that these children find safety and happiness in the schools who welcome them.

Having worked in EA for almost twenty years Karen reflected that the pressure on resources and the ever-increasing demands on services can at times feel like an insurmountable challenge. However, the small daily wins the team experiences, motivates and drives them on to make the difference they do.

Karen wishes to thank her managers for the support they have given her and the amazing IES team who are the true recipients of the award.