“I can’t thank them enough” says GCU student who got vital support from lecturer

A Glasgow Caledonian student who received vital events work experience from the university described it as a 'great opportunity' provided by the staff.

Amanda Livingston is a fourth year BA (Hons) International Tourism and Events Management student who was offered the chance to run a conference by a lecturer.

The conference she helped organise aimed to demonstrate the benefits of cycling over commuting by car, bus, or train, as it is more environmentally friendly and better for the planet.

Amanda was a believer in the green travel message that the conference set out, as she loves travelling herself.

As part of one of her modules, Amanda needs work experience to pass and graduate next Summer.

She said: “I have really been struggling to get work experience from employers, and if I do not have enough, I will have to repeat this year.

“It just feels like I was being constantly pushed back when looking for opportunities outside of university and that’s why I am glad I took this chance from my lecturer.”

Dr Nick Davies is a lecturer on Amanda’s course, whom she’s cited as a continued great source of help and gave her the chance to get real-world experience right here on campus.

She said: “It was an eye-opening experience, seeing what goes into the planning and management of a conference like this. It was really hectic, and there were people everywhere, and a lot of them did not know where they were going.”

Amanda had many duties to fulfil throughout the busy day, which included registering attendance, answering any queries people had and giving them directions to the appropriate locations on campus.

Carrying out the work experience was daunting; however, being able to do it on campus helped put her at ease, as there were plenty of familiar faces around.

“Having to be in a new environment where you’ve never been before can be quite scary, but luckily, I didn’t have to do that, and it was convenient too.

“I’m really thankful to the staff at the university and my lecturer for letting me be part of it, and it benefited me a lot. And I think all the people who attended found the conference useful too.”

Amanda took a gap year before coming to university to travel across Europe and visited countries like Spain, France and Portugal.

She says exploring gave her plenty of confidence heading into university life.

“I really enjoyed it, I felt I could have kept doing it forever.”

As much as Amanda would have liked her gap year to turn into a gap decade, she decided it was best to resume her studies.

Amanda’s now writing her dissertation, which she admits can be stressful, but she’s certain she’ll get through it and graduate next summer with a strong finish.

She added: “I know that a lot of other students must be struggling with stuff like this, but I think going to your lecturers for help is definitely a good place to start.”

By Cole Pinder