Electric car opportunity leads to spot at mega event for student

A GCU student has played her part at one of Scotland’s biggest ever events, while also gaining valuable experience towards her future career. 

MSc International Tourism and Events Management student Kirsty Clyne volunteered at Prestwick Airport, where she helped manage the fleet of electric cars used to transport government officials to and from the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). 

Kirsty, who heard about the opportunity through her module coordinator, explained why she got involved.  

She said: “COP26 is obviously such a big event and Glasgow’s probably not going to host it again, so I wanted to be involved as it’s potentially a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’d never even seen an electric car before this, so I was pretty amazed to experience them up close. 

It’s definitely something a bit different to say I’ve been part of as well, as most of the things we get offered as students are things like festivals – it’s very rare to get a big government worldwide event.” 

Kirsty helped a variety of people from across the globe while working at the airport. She explained: “I met the ambassador of Kazakhstan and also met delegates from a number of other interesting places.  

It was really interesting to meet the government officials from Zimbabwe, because they were all really excited as their leader hadn’t been allowed in the country for the last twenty years!” 

After meeting lots of new faces, Kirsty is hoping her experience will stand out on her CV when applying for jobs in future. She is also keen to encourage other students to make the most of volunteering opportunities while at University. 

Kirsty said: “Being in the classroom is great but actually being able to take what you’re learning and do it in person is a level of experience you can’t really understand until you’ve done it.  

I think it’s absolutely invaluable to get opportunities like this, especially in the current times we’re living in.” 

By Ross Clark          
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or connect with me on Twitter