Student Profile - James Whiting

Outstanding First Year Undergraduate Study

BA (Hons) Tourism Business Management

James very much likes to get things done on time and to the best of his ability. Without doubt, his positive, can-do attitude helped him on the way to becoming a HE Academic Prize winner and the title of Outstanding First Year Undergraduate Student at UCB.

He is about to start the second year of his BA (Hons) Tourism Business Management and is very much enjoying life at college.

James joined UCB at 17 on the BTEC Travel and Tourism course, gaining top marks for all his course work. A noted highlight was a residential trip to Spain where he worked as part of a Leonardo exchange project at hotels and campsites. Siesta Holidays ran the sites and were so impressed with James they offered him a job straight away!

However James knew he wanted to stay on at college and looked forward to starting his Degree course.

There have been challenges on the way for James as his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer  and understandably the stress of the situation for all the family sometimes made it difficult for James to focus on his work.

It is excellent news that his Mum has now made a full recovery and she is proud of her James and all that he has achieved.

For now, doing coursework remains high on James’s agenda alongside joining the Guild football team, working as a UCB student ambassador and working part time in the college’s Marketing Unit. 

In the future he aims to work at management level in the leisure and tourism industries to gain all the experience he can to go on and run his own business.

“I was so delighted to win an academic prize in my first year. It’s a bonus to be recognised for your work and I am even more inspired now to make sure my second year is as good as my first.”

James’s prize; £50 kindly donated by Amadeus @ The LG Arena

For further information please contact Jane Smith j.c.smith@ucb.ac.uk