Portia grew up in London and attended the French Lycée in South Kensington. This instilled in her a love of languages and all things French. She went on to study French and Italian at the University of Edinburgh, with a year abroad in Verona, Italy. After graduating Portia worked as a primary teaching assistant for 2 years then as an ABA therapist with autistic children for 1 year.
In her 20s Portia trialled a more footloose and fancy free life as a food and drink journalist, and later creative copywriter, in various London based start ups. But she missed the sense of purpose she had found working with children. In 2024 she returned to teaching to complete a PGCE in Secondary Education.
On her days off you’ll find Portia eating generous helpings of pasta, reading novels about the human experience or jogging in Bushy Park at a leisurely pace.
