When I first visited the campus on an Open Day, I loved it. The Design School was buzzing with new ideas and innovations. I remember thinking the products students were designing were functional and looked so beautiful and real – like something you would actually buy.
During my degree I was surrounded by talented students and lecturers. This really pushed me to become better and better myself. It was perhaps the hardest three years of my life, but also the most rewarding. I enjoyed how close we all became on the course. We were all in it together and looked out for each other along the way – we still do, helping out with ideas and even finding jobs.
What you do alongside your degree can be just as valuable as what you learn in the lecture theatre. I trained with Loughborough Lifesaving Club – it was fun and kept me uber-fit. What’s more, whilst swimming my lengths, I started thinking about rescue equipment and learnt how difficult it is to manoeuvre a body in water – particularly in the sea. So, designing a suitable lifeguard water craft seemed the perfect problem to address with my final year project.
The support from the School and University has been incredible. When I first pitched my vision of launching a global company, I wasn't sure if people would think I was crazy. However, the more I put into it, the more the Design School supported and encouraged me. I wouldn't have had a direction without the fantastic support of the University's Enterprise team – and may have thrown in the towel.