The Water Wheels team

Agnès de VARINE

21 years old, recent graduate from the University of Cambridge (Master of Engineering)

Agnès grew up in Paris and has always been attracted by foreign cultures. She learnt Russian and Chinese at school and spent a year in an Irish boarding school during her secondary education. After her baccalaureate she went to the University of Cambridge, to study engineering at Newnham College, where she met Emma. She picked up rowing, sport that she stuck with for her four years at Cambridge, and finished captain of her boat club. This made her develop a passion for sport and a desire to always push her limits further. She noticeably took part in a 50 km rowing marathon in September 2015 and likes discovering new regions of France and England on her bike.

Agnès was part of a scout group for 11 years with Astrid, including three years as a leader. This experience taught her to be open to others, gave her a taste for adventure and made her resourceful in the wild. Agnès has always loved travelling, on top of having spent almost a quarter of her life abroad, she notably travelled to China, Russia and the Philippines. These trips have given her the ability to adapt quickly to new environments and an unquenchable thurst to discover new cultures. Through this project Agnès wants to meet new people, push her limits and discover a new continent and fascinating cultures, while serving others through the different charity projects that will pace the trip. Between now and January, Agnès has set herself the challenge to learn Spanish and she is going back to Cambridge in September to work at Bespak Innovation, who develops medical devices. 

Emma KARSLAKE

22 years old, recent graduate from the University of Cambridge (BA in politics and international relations)

Half French and half British, Emma has always been fond of adventures and travels. After taking her French baccalaureate, she went to England to study politics and international relations at Newnham College, Cambridge. The incredible cultural diversity appealed to her straight away and she made friends from all over the world. Having always been very sporty, Emma got into rowing, the most popular sport in Cambridge, which she practised intensely for three years. With eight training sessions a week, no matter the conditions, she learnt to overcome both her physical and psychological limits. Whenever she has free time, Emma jumps on her bike to cycle the roads of Normandy.

Emma has always loved travelling, and has experience of long trips abroad, mainly in Germany, China and Botswana. Already fluent in French, English and German, she has now started learning Spanish ahead of this project. Through this South American adventure, Emma wants to push her limits even further, while contributing her little droplet to the world around her to give meaning to this trip. Until the departure, Emma will be working in Berlin for six months at Scope Ratings, a credit rating agency. 

Astrid SANONER

22 years old,  Master student at IESEG in Human Resources

After 20 years of Parisian life, Astrid caught the travelling bug and left the French capital for distant countries. Student at IESEG business school in Paris, she just finished a semester in India, that she ended with a 2 months road trip in South-East Asia. This experience gave her the chance to discover new cultures, all very diverse and extremely rich, which made her want to keep discovering new horizons. Astrid has been part of a scout group for 14 years, where she met Agnès at the age of eight. This allowed her to gain a sense of attention to others and perseverance. Her past five years as a scout leader gave her a sense of commitment and responsibilities.

With her four brothers, Astrid has always been very active and as a faithful user of the Parisian public bikes, she now wants to take her cycling skills to another level. Fond of pre-Colombian history and the Hispanic world since childhood, she has always dreamt of travelling to South America in order to discover territories and populations that she until now has only heard about in documentaries. Astrid has been learning Spanish for eight years, which will prove very useful on the trip. Through this project she wishes to live an experience of discovery and exchange with local populations, and to simply put herself at the service of others, while surpassing herself physically. Astrid is taking a year out next year, before completing her masters in human resources in 2017-2018. Until the big day, Astrid will be in Brussels to work as a recruitment officer

Cécile de FRESLON

22 years old, occupational therapist

The fourth one of the team, Cécile, also grew up in Paris and started occupational therapist studies after her baccalaureate, having always been very mindful of others and wanting to pursue a career where the people and their psychology are at the heart of the therapy process. Joyful and dynamic, Cécile never loses her smile and knows how to cheer up others. Always attentive to others, she was part of a scout group for 15 years, during which she met Astrid and Agnès. These years invovling regular stays in the wilderness  gave her a sense of responsibility and service, which she wishes to pursue in her South American adventure.

Sporty, Cécile has been playing tennis for 12 years and likes trying new sports, cycling is therefore her next challenge! After having explored the US as part of a langage trip and studied Spanish  as well as hispanic culture at school, she now wants to discover the Southern part of this fascinating continent. Eager to discover new ways of life, Cécile has decided to embark on this great physical and cultural adventure in order to help those who need it. State-certified since June 2016, she is is going to work as an occupational therapist at the Charles Foix hospital for four months until the end of December.