The Volak’s family connection to to the Dragon dates back to 1968, when Stefan (OD 1973) joined the school, quickly followed by his brothers Krystian (OD 1977) in 1972 and Jake in 1973. Fast forward to 2000, and Krystian’s first-born, Gabriella (OD 2009) joined the Dragon, quickly followed by her brothers, Sebastian (OD 2010) and Jamie (OD 2014) who we hear from today …
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My time at the Dragon School in three words
Sebastian: Only good times.
Jamie: Fun, diverse, enriching.
When I was a young Dragon, I wanted to be
Sebastian: I wasn’t sure but I was able to explore my interests freely at the Dragon. I particularly enjoyed art and DT classes which I guess steered me to my current profession, a portrait artist.
Jamie: A farmer!
The superpower I wish I had
Sebastian: To be able to articulate my thoughts perfectly, to always know exactly what to say in any given scenario.
Jamie: Being able to fly.
Eggy or marbles? Squares or Pin?
Sebastian: Eggy any day of the week. What’re the other two?
Jamie: Eggy.
My inspiration growing up
Sebastian: I never really looked up to a singular figure, I drew inspiration from a number of people but if I had to choose one it’d be my Dad.
Jamie: Jonny Wilkinson
At the top of my bucket list
Sebastian: I’d love to go to Antarctica!
Jamie: Being successful.
My most memorable moment at the Dragon
Sebastian: I won a number of art awards at the Dragon so those collectively stand out for me.
Jamie: Sports Days.
My biggest achievement
Sebastian: Despite dropping out of school with little certainty about the future, I decided to pursue my art as a career and trained at the Florence Academy of Art. Overcoming that uncertainty and feeling of being directionless, I pulled through better than I could’ve hoped.*
Jamie: My degree.
The advice I would give to my younger self
Sebastian: Have faith and work hard.
Jamie: Get involved in as much as possible!
In one sentence, what does it mean to be a Dragon?
Sebastian: An honour and a privilege, we’re a rare and well respected breed!
Jamie: It means being accepting of others, confident and having good values.
Bonus Question | What comes next? Nighty Nighty, Pyjama Pyjama , _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sebastian: Strawberry Daiquiri, Squashed Banana
Since my Dragon days …
Sebastian: I went to St Edward’s up until GCSEs then D’overbroeck’s 6th form college. After which I worked in hospitality for a while before deciding to pursue art professionally – it was always a hobby of mine. I trained as a classical artist for two years in Bristol and three more in Florence, Italy, leading me to a career in classical portraiture.
Jamie: I went to Abingdon secondary school and graduated from Leeds University – I am now working on a graduate scheme for a global company.
*Look out for one of Sebastian’s latest portraits featured as the front cover of The OD 2025.
Would you like to take a ‘walk down Dragon Lane’? Please get in touch with the Development team; we’d love to hear from you.
