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She is even thinking of majoring in political sciences or sociology, because they cover a lot of activism and political issues, something she never would have considered just a year ago when taking her A levels. No chance, she laughs.

Growing up, she had not always seen the world that way. Bourne attended private school where she was introduced to and excelled at hockey, joining local club Surbiton and making her way on to national team youth pathways. As a black woman she did not see many others who looked like her. The private school thing plays a big part in the lack of representation of black athletes in hockey in England. If you dont have access to the sport, youre not going to play. I also think the lack of representation of black role models higher up does affect the number of young aspiring athletes that are going to join.

England Hockey is able to name just four Black or Asian women to have represented Great Britain at senior level. Bourne says it is not something she actively gave much thought to until last year: When I was younger, because I grew up in a predominantly white area as well, I was often the only black girl in a situation. So it was something I kind of just learnt to get through and ignore that part of me. It wasnt a conversation that I had when I was younger or really noticed playing hockey, other than the fact that, you know, everyone was whiter than me.

But George Floyds death at the hands of police sparked the global Black Lives Matter and Bourne was inspired into action. Many sports, including her own, reflected on their role in the lack of representation. In August, an open letter sent to England Hockey, signed by nine clubs, accused the governing body of having an endemic race issue and of not doing enough to attract players from more deprived areas. Since then, national team players initiated a campaign called Stick it to Racism and the governing body launched an external diversity panel. In November, their efforts suffered embarrassment though, when a member of the diversity group was suspended for derogatory behaviour.

Bourne says forcing the sport to reflect means things are moving in the right direction I think theres a lot more to be done, but you can see that theyre trying to take the right steps, Bourne says. And especially a lot of the players have been increasingly active, which is great to see because they are role models. They dont have to be black [to be] role models, if theyre actively supporting the black community that in itself is fantastic.

Hockeys lack of diversity is not only a British problem, as Bourne found when she met her Duke squad. Having followed the international game, she was not surprised to be the only black member of the team. But the initial feeling was one of discomfort. I was the standout I was different because I was English, I joined late because of the coronavirus and then I looked different to everyone. As soon as I made relationships and got playing, I forgot about it. But that feeling of being out of place and a little bit anxious that a lot of people experience, maybe even more greatly than I do, it was very real.

Alongside her ambition to one day represent England and Great Britain at senior level on the pitch, she is focused on making hockey and society more inclusive and equal.There are groups and individuals who are continuously trying to stay active, like my coach at Duke is really, really forward- thinking, holding meetings on a regular basis about how we can be actively anti-racist, because she understands that I am the only person of colour on the team.

Thats really supportive. But as a whole as a country, both America and England, the conversation has died down. I would love to see everyone continue talking about it. And it just goes back to my original question: why is there any resistance to the debate?

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Darcy Bourne on the Black Lives Matter protest photo that has given her 'chance to change the world' - The Telegraph