Nyah Warner

Attending Loughborough University was something that appealed to me very early on when applying for universities because my friend’s sister talked so favourably about her student experience here. I had researched university league tables, and this together with the positive experience when I visited on an Open Day secured my interest. The campus felt like home immediately and nothing excited me more than walking around the Wolfson School workshops, and hearing about the course from the academic staff. The presentation about the undergraduate courses at Wolfson was fantastic. 

When I received my results, I immediately phoned Loughborough University as I researched that they had places available on the Product Design Engineering course. I was on the call for around 30 minutes before I was offered a place, and I have never felt so excited.

Understandably organising accommodation after securing my place in clearing meant there was not the same choice of University halls available but reassuringly there were still options. Living in Towers would not have been something I would have initially chosen but now I think it was a blessing. It has been an amazing experience.

The support has been fantastic because all lecturers are eager to help and we are regularly asked to give feedback to academic staff. I also value the weekly session with my personal tutor, whether it just a chat to check everything is ok or approaching them if I need support with my studies.

On my Product Design Engineering course, I have particularly enjoyed learning about how to use industrial Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and the industry standards for engineering drawings. I feel that I can truly innovate but also understand why certain materials and manufacturing processes are used. My career aspirations are to work at Dyson and then to be an entrepreneur with my own design engineering consultancy firm.  

I have experienced many unique opportunities whilst at Loughborough. I have become the course representative for Product Design Engineering students, this has allowed me to integrate well with the academic staff from the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering to help enhance the student experience.

I also took part in the Red Bull Soapbox race 2024 which I have been watching on television since I was a child and always felt aspired to do. My conversation with friends from our Women Engineering Society (WES) who entered a couple of years earlier encouraged me to start my own team. We called ourselves Team Tetra because our design was a collection of interlocking colourful 'tetra' blocks. Our team were lucky to have the help and support from Wolfson school technicians, who provided valuable insights in the design and engineering of our soapbox. Throughout the entire project planning and organisation skills were key, as well as a positive outlook. This experience equipped me with valuable life skills in understanding how a real-life project works and the need for planning prior to manufacturing a product. We learned the value of appreciating everyone’s input in a multidisciplinary collaboration, which allowed us to overcome unforeseen issues and produce a soapbox we were all proud of.