Inspirational Student: Sophie Drake
University has proven to be an inspiration to Sophie, changing her life and giving her a degree that she is extremely passionate about.
Sophie Drake, who moved from Suffolk to Birmingham in 2007, was very apprehensive about leaving home and going to University but over the three years has proven herself to be a very active student ambassador at University College Birmingham. Since starting her BSc Sports Therapy, Sophie has realised her potential as a good sports therapist and explains; "Through observing and learning from the extremely experienced and knowledgeable lecturers at UCB, it has given me something to aim for in the future and has motivated me to become as good as them".
When Sophie started University her ambition was to work hard and graduate with a 2:1 classification. After finishing her final exams last week she says “I now want to become a respected and reputable sports therapist, experiencing therapy in all sorts of settings and to continue to keep learning, improving and making a difference to others”.
Throughout the three years, Sophie has continually worked and taken advantage of a number of opportunities and valuable experiences as a sports therapist at sporting events such as the Great North Run, Birmingham Half Marathon and The Jujitsu Championships, volunteering with a ladies football team as well as working as a children’s swimming teacher from a young age. When talking about these invaluable experiences, Sophie says "Going to University College Birmingham has provided me with better career opportunities as I have been able to develop and learn skills via a hands on approach which will now add extra value to my CV".
Going to University was something that Sophie thought she would never do; "I am a more confident, mature and independent person and am leaving with a motivation to dream big and to work hard to achieve my dreams and overcome those challenging tasks that appear impossible at first glance. I recommend University to anyone and I am going to really miss being a student at University College Birmingham."
Since finishing university, Sophie is now looking forward to working on a submission for the University College Birmingham in-house Journal of Sports Therapy and is very excited about seeing her work published. She is also very keen to find another sporting team to work with, as this will help her keep up the pitch side therapy skills she has learnt. Sophie is feeling very positive about her future as a sports therapist and explains, "I am very enthusiastic to start my journey into post university life".