Francesca Lynn

I have volunteered with the Scout Association since I was 16 as a Young Leader and 10 years later continue to do so as a Cub Scout Leader. I enjoy teaching children valuable life skills and activities which help build confidence and impact positively on their lives.

What are you doing now?

I work as a Residential Childcare Officer in a Children's Home within the North East of England.

What was it about Northumbria that made you decide to study here?

I chose Northumbria University due to its high ratings in the courses in the sector I was interested in and the University was ranked highly in the Top 100 Universities to study at.

What was it like studying at Northumbria?

There was a large mix of lectures, seminars, and sometimes group work. We were separated into small groups of up to 10 people and were allocated a specific tutor for each group. The Tutor groups allowed us to have constructive feedback on how we felt we were doing and also were able to collaborate with other students for ideas in our groups.

How connected was your course with industry?

There was often small groups from guest lectures or volunteers which helped give us an insight into that particular career path.

What was the best thing about your course?

I enjoyed the different modes of study. The use of technology to allow us to analyse videos of counselling, journals to read for childhood studies and the use of CCTV rooms to allow us to develop our counselling interview techniques and watch them back,

How did studying at Northumbria help you achieve your career goals/ give your career an edge?

As my degree is a two in one, I have a edge as I can use my degree for both sectors and I can bring both skills and knowledge together to enhance my role and offer more to my employer.

Which skills/knowledge did you learn on your course that you use most now throughout your career?

I am able to use my counselling degree to talk to children and empathise with them if they would like to talk and it would be non- judgemental. I am also able to make use of Childhood Studies and with the changes in childhood and development I can try and understand why the child has acted or behaved in a certain way and try to help to the best of my ability.

What did you enjoy most about your time at Northumbria University?

Although I enjoyed the academic side I also enjoyed the social aspect. I volunteered over my years at Northumbria within the Student union in the RAG team (Raise and Give), Student Union Community team, and I also helped as a team member during Freshers week. There was a large selection of societies to choose from and I enjoyed going to hosted events such as Karaoke and Quiz nights.

What advice would you give somebody who is considering studying at Northumbria?

Try and attend every Lecture, missing a lecture won't do harm however make sure you catch up, read notes and ask others for help if needed. Take time to read journals or pieces set by tutors as these are sometimes important for use in essays or work. Also, make use of the library as there is a large selection of books for each course type.

How would you describe your time at Northumbria in three words?

Fufilling. Life Changing. Meaningful.