Kevin Brooke, BA Creative & Professional Writing and English Literature graduate
Having just completed a degree in Creative & Professional Writing and English Literature, I guess I could probably be described as a typical mature student in that I was keen to do well in my studies and enthusiastic to involve myself wherever I could. The great thing about the University of Worcester is that it enables students to build a portfolio that doesn’t simply focus on the degree.
A perfect example of this is the Worcester Award that records and rewards students for volunteering and part-time work. In terms of volunteering, although there are many different opportunities in both the University and the Worcester Students’ Union, for me it meant recording the visits I made to local schools as a creative writer/author. Most of my part-time work was based on the hours I’ve spent as a Student Ambassador, a role that is organised by the Communications Department at the University. This included working at Open Days and Taster Days when local schoolchildren gain experience of University life. In addition, I helped with the Beeline children’s storytelling festival and have worked as a guide and provided workshops at both The Infirmary Museum and The George Marshall Museum. I’ve also worked as an actor/patient for the Institute of Health & Society and enjoy an ongoing role as website content assistant in the Communications Department. This fits perfectly with someone who has aspirations of being a writer. Alongside all of the above, I’ve enjoyed working with the Worcester Students’ Union as both a Course and Institute Representative and thus providing further examples of the variety of opportunities that are available to students.
As for the future, I’m aiming to utilise my degree in the pursuit of becoming a successful writer of young people’s fiction and in offering Creative Writing workshops. I am currently Patron of Reading at Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College and have just completed a third children’s book entitled ‘Max & Luchia: The Game Makers’ that is being published by Black Pear Press. Contacts I have made at the University mean that the story has been brought to life by an illustration student and that the book launch will be recorded by a photographer friend who works in the Students’ Union.
Suffice to say, the three years at University have been incredibly rewarding and have offered a variety of employability skills I can add to my C.V. In addition, the opportunity to meet and work with a variety of people in different situations has helped to build my confidence in trying new things and in opening my mind to new experiences.
