It’s amazing where higher education can lead you

My first visit to Sheffield, was for an Open Day at Sheffield Hallam University, I was taken in by the city immediately, and walking around the campus I had already decided this was where I wanted to study. I remember being told off by my mom because I had spoken with her about all the clubs and societies I planned on joining. She reminded me that I hadn’t been to the talk about my course yet and my mind might change but five years later and with a successful degree, I’m still here doing what I love.

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I remember being told off by my mom because I had spoken with her about all the clubs and societies I planned on joining. She reminded me that I hadn’t been to the talk about my course yet and my mind might change but five years later and with a successful degree, I’m still here doing what I love.

In my first year at university I was too shy to join any clubs, I had realised how big university really was and suddenly all the confidence I had disappeared. It wasn’t until my second year, that I decided I was going to join a sports club. I opted for American Football as I had been following the sport for a few years and thought it would be cool to give it a go.

I turned up to my first training session, not knowing anyone, or much about the sport apart from what I had seen on TV, I remember trying my hardest not to be nervous. It turned out that, the sport I would be playing was in fact called Flag American Football, which is the contactless version which can easily be describe as being like Tag Rugby. At first, I was slightly disappointed as I thought I would be playing full contact with the helmet and shoulder pads, instead I had a flag belt on and a gum shield. I was in for a shock with how fast paced and competitive this version of American Football was!

I played for my university team ‘Hallam Warriors’ and we competed in the Opal Tournament where university and non-university teams from across the UK compete against each other. During this time, I had the opportunity to play in the biggest international tournament called Big Bowl hosted in Germany. I also played for the Great Britain development squad, formerly known as ‘The GB Silver Lions’, whilst on this team I had the opportunity to go with the Gold team to Glasgow where we played against Sweden.

I still play Flag American Football to this day, and by taking a chance on a sport I had never heard of, and challenging myself to do something new, I have been able to travel and meet some amazing people who I still keep in contact with. It’s amazing where higher education can go.