I have always loved design and Industrial Design seemed like a great opportunity to combine all of the different aspects, in a practical approach. All the way through school I’d assumed I’d end up going to a big busy city for University, but the minute I visited Loughborough I knew that I couldn’t go anywhere else. I was in awe of the place!
Above the obvious skills I learnt on my course, Loughborough has broadened my horizons and given me a wide network of friends across the UK (and even further afield!) It allowed me to meet all kinds of amazing people from different backgrounds and cultures and perhaps most importantly gave me the opportunity to try out my ideas and test my entrepreneurial ability.
During University, I was Media Rep at Royce Hall. Working as part of the hall committee was a great experience and meant that I stayed in halls for two years. Being an integral part of hall life was really important and I’d recommend it to anyone. I produced the first Royce Hall magazine and learnt some very useful lessons in the process. In my last term at Loughborough I entered a business competition that was run in partnership with Charnwood Council. I won that competition and was awarded a rent-free office space near Loughborough train station. That allowed me to build up the business I had already launched, and I stayed in Loughborough for 12 months.
My course gave me some really valuable product development skills and a good grasp of manufacturing processes that have definitely helped me. However, I think the most important things I learnt at Loughborough were social and consumer awareness. I think that level of awareness has helped me to create the Candy Kittens brand.