A Psychology student is broadening her horizons and building up her CV with help from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU).
Liz Stokes has taken on roles representing her course and faculty, helped set up a society and acted as a school mentor - balancing all these activities with her studies and being mum to two young children.
Now she is about to start volunteering at a secondary school in special measures, where she will work with a pupil identified as having challenging behaviour.
The second-year student said: "At DMU there are so many things you can get involved in that you can't in an ordinary job.
"There are so many different opportunities to widen your horizons that are easily accessible.
"DMU offers so much to build your CV and you either take it or you don't."
Liz, 28, is hoping to study for a PhD in Educational Psychology, so her volunteer work through the DMU Square Mile programme will prove "great experience".
She said: "I'm looking forward to it. I will work with a student, build a relationship and monitor their behaviour. They can turn to me with issues and I will help them to focus more on lessons and give them strategies to cope."
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Prior to starting her degree Liz, from Leicester, was a beauty therapy teacher and assessor for a training provider for excluded children.
"I went vocational first and did teacher training on the job, but I wanted to go into educational psychology, hence university."
Liz chose DMU's Psychology degree because of the accreditation by the British Psychological Society.
A mum of one when she started in 2014, Liz deferred for a year between January 2016 and January 2017 while she had her second son.
Now she is back at university and embracing all that DMU has to offer.
Liz said: "In the first year I was asked to be a course representative and helped set up the Psychology Society. This year we have 130-plus members and I feel really proud.
"I mainly work on the voluntary side and have helped develop opportunities with internal and external organisations such as DMU Square Mile and the Samaritans.
"This is because to do a master's or PhD really requires 12 months' relevant volunteering and in the final year of the undergraduate course you have to do 50 hours of work experience for the employability module."
Liz, who is also a Student Ambassador and a Brand Ambassador, has previously taken part in DMU Square Mile's school mentoring programme and helped redevelop the garden at Leicester Prison.
She said: "I've had great experiences, learnt many skills and met many students and staff."
Most recently Liz has challenged herself by abseiling down the side of Gateway House in aid of DMU Square Mile India, having also completed a diving course with the DMU Sub Aqua club.
Posted on Thursday 2 March 2017