Alumna Louisa Brassey (de Carvalho, DH 2004) returned to Downe House to award Leavers’ Day prizes to our Class of 2025. 

Louisa left Downe House in 2004, she then went on to get a BA in History at Princeton University graduating in 2009. She started her career in journalism and media and worked at various institutions including CNN, Weilands Film Productions and Manifesto NYC. 

In 2017 she co-founded Greenwood Place, a company focused on helping people achieve impact and enjoyment from their philanthropy. She launched her family's foundation, the Lucille Foundation, through Greenwood Place and has chaired and grown the foundation over the last 7 years. Louisa is passionate about helping families start and engage in giving earlier in their lives. She has worked closely with many of Greenwood Place's clients helping them navigate the complexities of working together and transitioning leadership through generations. She is an advisor to Impact Bridge, an impact-led fund of funds and also sits on the sustainability and responsibility committee at Heineken N.V

She shared with our Class of 2025 that she has often experienced imposter syndrome. But she views this feeling as a positive sign. It signals you’re embracing change, pushing your boundaries, stepping outside your comfort zone and growing your capabilities. And it’s in these times of uncertainty, that the biggest shifts can happen.  

She had imposter syndrome when she co-founded her own business. But her partner offered her some of the best advice she’s ever had: it’s not what you do, but who you do it with. Finding people who inspired her and aligned with her values set her on the road to success and happiness. 

Another lesson she’s learned is that the world is not always either/or, but often both. Embracing complexity makes you more resilient, more open and more compassionate. Thinking about the future, she encouraged our girls to feel excited, even if uncertain what the future holds. She explained “You’re allowed to say you don’t know. You’re allowed to change your mind.” She encouraged them to feel excited as well as uncertain, to be ambitious while still figuring it out. They may start down one path but later choose another, and then another. 

The world may shift, indeed the Class of 2025 have faced some of the biggest challenges in recent years, but some things remain constant in unpredictable times. She observed our Class of 2025 are united by the values they’ve lived by, the relationships they’ve built and the way they’ve supported each other while here at Downe House. They join a long line of Downe House girls who share these same strong foundations: the friendships, the laughter, the shared moments of challenge and celebration. 

She encouraged our girls to hold on to their values, trust their instincts and embrace change, and left our Class of 2025 with Donna Lancaster’s definition of worthy. To be worthy is to believe you have inherent value, that you are important and deserving of respect. You have the right to respect, compassion, kindness and love, especially from yourself.