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Year 10 pupil Ethan, from Budehaven Community School, wants to become a marine biologist and recently completed a work experience placement at a seal sanctuary that was a three-hour round trip by car.
"I love being in the sea and just protecting its habitats and wildlife, it really makes me excited to do something like that," he said.
"I think Cornwall's amazing and all my family are here but I think I want to be able to grow as a person. I think I can only do that by leaving and exploring new adventures."
Year 9 student Burt told us he had to travel to Oxfordshire and Coventry to take part in the National Youth Choir, which meant his dad had to book a hotel to break up the journey.
He thinks there are good opportunities to be found but they're more difficult, and sometimes costly, to access from his town.
But others told us Cornwall is the perfect location for them. Poppy wants to be a florist and dreams of opening a seasonal business selling homegrown local wildflowers.
Wilkes has decided to spend above average on careers advice and trips, including to universities, to help expand pupils' horizons but it is still hard.
He had to turn down an offer of work experience from a "brilliant company" because although it didn't look too far on a map, it was five hours each way by road, without a direct bus service.
This kind of challenge potentially deepens the divide between families who have the money to afford petrol for long-distance trips or holidays abroad, and those who are just about managing the basics with a rising cost of living.
In the South West, much of the local employment is in farming or tourism, with young adults looking to leave and build their careers elsewhere.
In 2024, jobs related to the visitor economy made up approximately 20% of employment in Cornwall.
The South West Social Mobility Commission has other concerns about children who receive free school meals in the region.
It warns that 46% of secondary pupils (and 27% of primary pupils) are persistently absent, which means missing 10% of their school time.
While suspensions, exclusions and home education are also among the highest in England "raising important questions about school engagement, belonging and access to education".
In young adulthood, the potential impact can be seen in the proportion who go on to university, one of the biggest long-term drivers of improved earnings and life chances between generations.
In the South West, 19% of those who grew up receiving free school meals go on to get a degree, the lowest level in England, and below the North East. The national average is 29%.
