Elise Paramore

Admittedly, I should be working on assignments but instead I'm writing this post. There has always been an emphasis on reflection throughout my education, and this is a result of that. 2019 has been a strange year for me. I have had some of the most amazing memories, with some of the best people but then had some of my lowest points which I have had to pick myself up from, and soldier on. This year has taught me that life isn't always the happy-go-lucky entity that it appears to be, and that everything that you want to achieve you have to give your all into. On reflection, I have begun to understand even more who I am and want to be as a person, and that life throws you challenges to learn from, and become even better. Anyone who knows me on a personal level will understand the event that caused this realisation. It sucked at the time however, I've come back stronger and more appreciative of the people around me, their support and encouragement that has boosted me to ke...

Coming to uni from a small town in the South West of England, I knew that I was going to have to do some additional activities in order to improve my career prospects. As someone who is always striving to achieve the absolute best for myself, I knew that I needed to do some sort of professional work experience in order to get ahead. As there are a small number of opportunities in the area I live in, I decided that a year in industry was the way to go for me. Placements are a pretty daunting prospect. Looking for a full-time professional job when my work experience is limited to retail was a challenging thing to try to comprehend. However, I knew that I had to take what I had and run with it. I was very fortunate to have a module dedicated to learning about placements. I quickly picked up how to construct a cover letter, CV and application form and the importance of not restricting your search by location. This sort of mentoring was so valuable, even if it was a 9am lecture. I sta...