ÐÓ°ÉappÏÂÔØ

Alumni

Ryan Carty

Schools Programme Lead, Football Beyond Borders

The lecturers were a big part of my decision to go to ÐÓ°ÉappÏÂÔØ. I had options to do other things academically and professionally, but I felt like I would get the support I needed from ÐÓ°ÉappÏÂÔØ. This was good for me because if I needed to ask a question or for some support, the lecturers were easy to contact and speak to.

Memories of ÐÓ°ÉappÏÂÔØ

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to experience as much of the student life as I would have liked to due to the pandemic, but I think my best memories were meeting my class for the first time towards the end of the course. I also remember how relatable my lecturers made the modules, in particular Tracey Partridge as she was also my personal tutor, and how much support we received through a period that was very difficult for everyone. The lecturers showed they really cared about us and that was nice to experience.

This photo was taken after I achieved the Gold Plus standard for the ÐÓ°ÉappÏÂÔØ student volunteering programme. It was a proud achievement and nice to be recognised for all the work I had undertaken during that year. Additionally, it was similar to an award I won at my previous university, so I felt a sense of accomplishment because this showed me that winning a similar award as a part of my previous studies was not a fluke and confirmed even further to me that I had been working hard to progress towards my goals.

Life after ÐÓ°ÉappÏÂÔØ

Since graduating I have completed my QTLS, taught Level 3 BTEC Sport to 16–19-year-olds at a semi professional football club, mentored young people and run numerous workshops for a relationship education charity. I now work for an education and social inclusion charity and will do this alongside a Master’s in Education at UCL.

In the future, I want to teach in the UK and abroad and work towards becoming a Senior Leader at an education institute. My dream would be to use my experiences to teach and mentor teachers then work towards opening multiple education spaces worldwide for young people.

My advice would be don't be afraid of the future and lean into the unknown because that is where the most growth is done. Staying in our comfort zones would be doing ourselves and the world a disservice because everyone has so much good to offer. For those about to graduate, I would say be as prepared as you can be for your next steps. You may not know completely what you want to do but being as prepared as you can be will at least allow you to hit the ground running in a way that works for you.

  • Ryan Carty
  • PGCE (Further Education and Skills Sector), 2021

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