A De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) student is set to help people across the city lead healthier lifestyles.
Alice Mcleavy has landed a role as a Healthy Lifestyle Hub Advisor with Get Healthy Leicester and is excited to be starting ahead of graduating this summer.
The Health Studies student said: "I was a bit overwhelmed to be offered the job. It took a massive load off me. I am really lucky and glad to have got it."
Get Healthy Leicester offers free healthy lifestyle services to anyone aged 18 or over and Alice's role will focus on intervention and promotion of health, which she learned about on her course.
She will work with clients and refer them on to the most suitable services to meet their needs, for example a weight management programme or stop smoking support.
Alice said: "I will assess people and come up with ways to help. For example, if someone wants to maintain their weight and there isn't a gym nearby I'll look for alternatives.
"I'll also be training as a health coach to go out and work with clients."
In addition to her academic knowledge, Alice's sales experience impressed the interview team at Get Healthy Leicester, which is commissioned by Leicester City Council and Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group and run by Parkwood Healthcare.
The 20-year-old said: "I've worked in retail throughout university and to make a sale you have to build a relationship with a customer and they could see I had good confidence in speaking to people."
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Born in Leicestershire, Alice decided to study at DMU after attending an Open Day and talking to students about the Health Studies course, recently renamed Health and Wellbeing in Society.
She said: "The course opened my eyes to different jobs, you only hear about doctors and nurses, and the health promotion side appealed to me."
During her time at DMU, Alice has particularly enjoyed the Debates and Dilemmas and Public Health modules, but the whole of her final year, in particular working with Senior Lecturer Jenny Sanders, has been her highlight.
"Jenny has helped ridiculous amounts to make sure I'm OK!" said Alice.
"I am looking forward to building new relationships and feeling proud to be helping people but I will miss DMU."
Meanwhile Alice is putting her £100 Employability Award - available to final-year students to help with employment costs - to good use. It's paying for driving lessons, to give her an easier commute to work.
Posted on Monday 8 May 2017