Arabella’s story
Arabella, who is currently in Year 8, attended one of IntoUniversity Bridlington’s first ever workshops, ‘Being in an Independent Learner’ at her Secondary school. Shortly after, Arabella signed up to after-school Academic Support and now attends regularly.
Arabella is an engaged student who eagerly participates in activities and always approaches work with a positive attitude. Since attending Academic Support, Arabella’s confidence has improved, particularly in public speaking. She has developed her independent learning skills, using her own initiative to undertake additional projects and complete her homework to a high standard; she even won a network-wide prize for creating a presentation on Diwali as part of the Future Readiness Award. Arabella particularly enjoyed IntoUniversity’s ‘Psychology’ Buddy programme, during which she visited the University of Hull with her classmates, and had the opportunity to speak to undergraduates and tour the university campus.
What do you hope to achieve by coming to IntoUniversity?
‘I come to IntoUniversity because it helps me do better [at school], as I can get extra help at Academic Support. This helps me feel more confident in the work I do in lessons. By attending IntoUniversity, I hope that I will achieve better grades in Maths. I like coming [to IntoUniversity] and I get extra support with my homework. It’s a great place and all of the staff members are nice.’
How has IntoUniversity helped you?
‘IntoUniversity has helped me [improve] my problem-solving skills, especially when completing Maths questions. I am usually more distracted when I do my homework at home and can’t get much done. I have also built up my confidence while coming to IntoUniversity, and I think my teamwork skills have [improved] by working on extracurricular projects with other students, such as my tudor project and the LGBTQIA+ Future Readiness project [an independent learning project Secondary students can complete at Academic Support].
What is your best memory of IntoUniversity? Why?
‘My favourite memory of IntoUniversity was the Buddy trip to the University of Hull. I went on a tour of the campus, and I learnt what students can do there. I enjoyed the tour because we got to see the library and the magnificent view from the top floor. We also did group work and I enjoyed the ‘Forensic Psychology’ workshop – I liked listening to the student ambassadors talk about their life at the University of Hull. The campus was big and I liked how some of the taller buildings reminded me of my hometown Bridlington.’
What do you enjoy most about IntoUniversity?
‘I love seeing my friends. I feel happy coming to Academic Support because I like doing Future Readiness and the projects are fun and have taught me about religion and how different religions celebrate. Winning the Future Readiness Award made me feel proud and happy. I get to see iconic Ellie, Olivia, Rachel, and Maria, as well as the other members of the team and I feel comfortable spending time here with them.’
How has IntoUniversity supported you to think about your future?
‘My future goals are to go to army college and train to be a nurse or a midwife, and I think IntoUniversity has helped me to think about the future. The Buddy trip made me realise that university is somewhere I could go one day. Academic Support has helped me revise for what was coming up on my tests at school. The in-school workshops I have done have helped me think of ways to study for my subjects better.’
Read more about our partnership with the Universities of Hull and York