Imogen
Fuller

"I am studying BA Primary Education, where I am in my fourth and final year. My time at NTU has brought me out of my shell, introduced me to friends for life, and prepared me to succeed in my future career as a primary school teacher. Alongside my love for primary teaching, I have also been a member of Girlguiding since I was 7. After leaving the Guides I continued with the organisation by volunteering as a young leader, later gaining my leadership qualification in 2020. I work with a team of leaders to plan and deliver weekly sessions where we provide young girls with opportunities to complete a range of adventurous, creative, and thought-provoking activities. I was pleased to be able to transfer to lead a Brownie unit (for girls aged 7-10) in Nottingham when I moved for university, and have made fantastic connections with the local community, but found myself having to commute across the city each week for our meetings. This began to get expensive, and I was considering taking a step back from my role.

"By using the Opportunity Bursary to cover my travel costs, I was not only able to continue to volunteer at Brownies but also increased my hours to lead a Rainbow unit (for girls aged 4-7). Expanding this role has developed my leadership and organisational skills greatly as I took over leading a new team and I get the pleasure of supporting more young girls in Nottingham by providing safe spaces to explore, challenge themselves, and express their emotions. The transferable skills gained from this role will prove invaluable in my teaching career, allowing me to understand better how to work effectively with colleagues and lead projects within a school and this experience has increased my confidence tenfold.

"With all this in mind, I am incredibly thankful to the supporters of the Student Success Endowment fund for providing me with the means to access volunteering opportunities which have enriched my university experience and personal life and supported me in being able to call Nottingham my home."