A-Levels: Media Studies, Psychology, Drama (2004 – 2006)
AS-Level: English Language & Literature
I joined Friesland Sixth Form not knowing anyone from my year group, moving in the opposite direction from my secondary school friends – yet it was the best move I ever made. I was a quiet person and lacked confidence, but understood I had to push myself out of my comfort zone (drama!) to gain experience and help build this up. I loved my time at Friesland, from the other students to the amazing teachers and the extracurricular experiences (skiing in Canada) made my two years there so memorable.
University wasn’t really something I ever really considered, I would be the first in my family to attend, still I thought I would apply and go visit a few places to get a feel for it – poor dad drove up and down the country that year. I wanted to do something within media and landed my first-choice place at the University of Lincoln on their BA (Hons) Media Production course. This course allowed me to experiment with the different areas of media (radio, tv, film, design, etc) where I graduated specialising in film production. Our final film won numerous awards from within the university as well as external competitions.
My employment journey has been extremely varied, and each job has taught me so many things. I have freelanced throughout my years working on short films, advertisements and corporate as both camera operator and editor. My first full time job was working for a print firm that specialised in online property auctions, where I created the videos for each property to be showcased on their website. I moved onto being head of post-production and main editor at a small production company specialising in both corporate and high-end Asian weddings, this role taught me so much about being organised and working directly with clients, as well as becoming an expert on Asian weddings!
Currently I am working for the University of Derby in their Technology Enhanced Learning department as a Learning Technology Media Adviser. I provide support and training in the use of media within learning, teaching and assessment activities. I engage with staff to enable them to produce innovative video and audio learning resources, researching emerging technologies and working closely with colleagues across the university. While here, I have implemented the use of video case studies, interactive learning escape rooms, media-based assessments and created websites for various programmes within the
