Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, 2022
Sports Engagement Officer, University of Warwick
I'm Aaron, a proactive and organised individual who is currently working at the University of Warwick as a Sports Engagement Officer.
In addition, I am a class of 2022 graduate from the University of Birmingham, in the field of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences. During my time at university, I undertook a placement with the Commonwealth Games sustainability team, a truly unique experience. In this role, I researched sustainability practices in the sporting industry, analysed data from major sporting events and assisted in the development of a sustainability toolkit, aimed at encouraging individuals and groups to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. This period provided me with a deeper understanding of the logistics behind sporting events, and the ever increasing need to be more sustainable in my everyday actions, benefiting me in my current role as a Sport Engagement Officer in which I assist in the development of university sporting events and ensure they are promoted in an eco friendly manner. This could take the form of helping to develop a 5-a-side football tournament and pushing out social media and university-related application notifications, rather than the overusage of single use, typically discarded leaflets.
Moreover, through engaging with the University's Careers Network (eventually!), I was fortunate enough to come across Nicki Hamilton, a caring progression coach who provided me with self-confidence and optimism for the future. Through taking the time to look at my prior academia, work experience and extra curricular opportunities, she saw the positives in what I had done, ensured I not only noticed this, but took pride in it, and helped me in the creation of short-term and long-term goals, helping me get to where I am today. By achieving the short-term goals, which could be something as simple as spending time to craft my LinkedIn page, my network gradually grew, more people became aware of who I was and more opportunities were presented to me, increasing not just my professional network but confidence in myself to apply for those greater roles as I am a capable individual with the ability to succeed.
Outside of engaging with the University's Careers Network sooner (!), I would highly recommend current students to simply enjoy their experience (as cliched as it may sound). Whilst it is important to stay on top of the workload, it is of greater importance to look after yourself, whether that would be playing your favourite sport, going to the gym or going out for the night with some friends. It is those experiences that will give you the most joy and fondest memories when you graduate. They are also the ones that will fuel you when it is time to put your head down and crack on with some work. Whilst I had a fantastic university experience, it is stepping outside my comfort zone via attending night outs, making time for more social events and saying yes to those spontaneous plans that I wish I had got involved with more. For most, university is a once in a lifetime experience, so make sure you make the most of it!
As for my inspiration, a lot of what I do is to make my family proud. They are the people you spend the majority of your younger years with and are the ones who shape you into the individual you become. As the youngest in my immediate family, I like to think my parents and siblings raised a great person in myself (!) and have promoted core values such as hard work. By maintaining an ability to uphold these values and achieving the desired result, I like to think I am making them proud through my positive actions.