Georgina Warren, who studies Textiles and Ryan Burt-Allen – who is in his second year studying Civil Engineering – are both part of º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s Opportunity Scholarship Programme.
This programme provides funding to scholars for three years which supports them during their time at University, and is donated from alumni and friends of the University.
The event was led by sports psychologist and º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ alumnus Jeremy Snape, who is an ex-England and county cricketer. He has combined his master’s degree in Sport Psychology from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences and his playing experience to support sporting and non-sporting organisations to improve their leadership and management performance.
In his masterclass, Jeremy discussed the importance of personal drive, focus, confidence, performing under pressure, and having a learning mindset.
Throughout the day, the two students had the opportunity to network with other students as well as attend Q&A’s with experts from the sports sector. These included Tanya Oxtoby, Dennis Wise and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
As part of the event, Georgina and Ryan were also invited to attend a screening of the Champions League final game at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium, which they received a tour of too.
Talking about her experience, Georgina said: “I really enjoyed all of the talks, there was a variety of personalities speaking about their own perspectives on sporting and academic excellence.
“What I really felt united all of the speakers was the shared opinion that it doesn’t matter how gifted you are in terms of athletic ability or academically, hard work is the best talent.
“I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Santander for a fantastic day, it was incredibly generous of them and I felt like I took a lot of positives away with me.”
Matt Hutnell, Director of Santander Universities UK, said: “We’re thrilled to have offered students from all our partner Universities this fantastic opportunity to attend a series of leadership activities whilst highlighting the positive and lasting impact that sports such as football have on people and communities around the world.
“We are committed to supporting higher education and hope the sessions provided an invaluable insight and the skills needed for students to build upon as they develop their careers.”
Santander Universities is a division of Santander which maintains partnerships with over 1,200 academic institutions across 20 countries. It was introduced in the UK in 2007 and last year provided over £10m of funding to support university staff and students.