Halle's story

How are you going to utilise the Santander Funding? 

I worked as a Social Media Volunteer for Learning by Heart, a small educational charity. I committed to and completed 2-4 hours a week for around 10 months. I was motivated to apply for the role as it was a unique opportunity that was well suited to me; it could be done remotely and flexibly at any hours of the day, and it was a small organisation so there was room to shape the role into what I wanted. I also wanted to get that first bit of work experience in a context that put less pressure on me than a paid internship. 

I feel that this work experience was truly valuable to me, as I took on new responsibilities and put into practice what I had already learned on my degree. The opportunity gave me the chance to get creative and build skills in designing for social media and digital marketing for non-profits. I created picture and video content for various social media platforms and wrote copy for the charity’s website. This role also challenged me from a time management and organisation perspective, as I had weekly deadlines to meet as a volunteer and bi-weekly volunteering team meetings alongside my studies. 

I am very excited to be attending the Birmingham Design Festival in June. I have been to similar but smaller events in the past, such as recently attending the Northern Design Festival in Lancaster. I enjoy events like these as I find it insightful and inspiring to hear from professionals in the industry that I want to go into. The networking bit is the part of going to conferences which puts me most outside my comfort zone, but I gain the most from it as I get to have real conversations and make professional connections - I believe having a big network across the country will benefit me massively in my career. It also helps me build my confidence, especially when talking about my career aspirations and interests in my industry. 

How has the funding help you to achieve your career aspirations?  

I am very grateful to be paid and recognised for the volunteering work I have completed. I am proud of the work I produced and the commitment I made to the charity. Learning by Heart provides affordable tutoring; they receive regular feedback and testimonials from their pupils so I really felt like I was making a difference by being part of an organisation where I could tangibly see the impact they made on their beneficiaries. With it being a small team, I assisted in different areas as well such as outreach and fundraising. This not only showed me the difference I could make as part of a team, but also taught me new skills and ways of thinking which I can take into my future career. 

I am looking forward to the Birmingham Design Festival conference. I always find it beneficial to hear from industry professionals about their creative process and thoughts on the creative sector. I’ll be attending several of the workshops, with a focus on typography and lettering which will provide me with practical skills that I haven’t yet explored on my degree. I am excited to network with creatives from different areas as I have only networked in the North thus far, gaining more insights into the industry is always inspiring to me. 

Why do you think it is important for students to engage in extracurricular activities alongside their studies? 

Highlight three things (experiences or skills) you have gained or been involved in as a result of your extra curricular activities, that you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do otherwise 

Extracurricular activities have been very important to my university experience as they allow me to apply the skills and knowledge that I have learned on my degree. Networking especially is refreshing to have conversations with people I usually wouldn’t have within the social setting of university. Engaging with extracurricular activities boosts my confidence both in my degree-relevant skills and my soft skills such as communication, it also gives me more experiences to reference on my CV and when speaking to professionals. As a result of my extracurricular activities, I have gained the skill of inducting a new hire into my role, I have had the experience of making connections that led to other opportunities, and finally I have gained interview skills from working on a job application with my mentor. 

 

Can you tell us about the event you attended?

Birmingham Design Festival was two days that were packed with exploration, insights, and fun. The theme of the festival was PLAY, and exploring how this concept can be used in the creative process of a graphic designer. The first day was a series of workshops. I especially enjoyed the ones that had a focus on typography, as they were very experimental. What I gained the most from was the second day, which featured the conference, a full day of talks from industry professionals. There was a series of talks from designers in various disciplines and I enjoyed the fact that these designers were from various parts of the globe.

Birmingham Design Festival is the biggest event I have yet been to, and this international lens was very insightful as I have only previously been to events such as Northern Design Festival which had a more of a focus on local creative voices. All the speakers explored the theme of play in their own ways, it was interesting to hear each of their takes on it and be able to consider how I can bring those insights into my own design work. Hearing from speakers with vast careers instilled a sense of ease in me for my future career, I felt inspired by the pivots and journeys these professionals have made and was reminded that I don’t have to have to have it all figured out so soon. It was great to hear everyone talk through their projects and processes they use and I took lots of notes for future reference. The event also had lots of freebies including stationery which I’m excited to make use of in my work. 

Having this opportunity funded has been a very rewarding experience, it has pushed me out of my comfort zone to the biggest professional event I have ever attended. It has opened my mind to new perspectives from industry professionals and given me new routes of inspiration to explore creatively in my final year. I have also had the realisation that the more networking/professional events that I attend, the less pressure I feel to make every second count. I don’t feel I have to force connections as I know there will always be another event, this allows me to enjoy it more and relax into the setting - only boosting my confidence in these situations further.

I am grateful to have been given this opportunity to expand upon my professional development. I feel these experiences are essential to go alongside my university experience as it allows me to think about how I can apply what I’ve learned to the world outside of the lecture hall. I had a great time at the conference and feel motivated to seek out similar events to expand my network and knowledge. I’m excited to share this experience on LinkedIn, which will demonstrate my proactive nature to continuously engage with extracurriculars. The funding has given me the push to think bigger and better with the events I choose to attend and I’m looking forward to punctuating my final year of study with a wealth of networking events, conferences, and connections in the industry.  

‘Halle worked with Learning By Heart as a social media volunteer between October 2024 and August 2024, completing well over 40 hours (likely over 100 assuming 3h a week) managing all of our social media platforms, scheduling content and running campaigns for the charity, which focuses on accessible education by providing pay as you feel tutoring to fundraise for educational charities. Halle's contribution to the charity should not be underestimated - she went above and beyond in her work for Learning By Heart and we really appreciate it.’ – Naomi Green, Founder at Learning by Heart