Testimonials

Former student testimonials

Transformations is transformational. We aren’t telling students that they need to go to university or that they need to do special things in their examinations or present themselves in a certain way to do well. We are giving them the tools – and hopefully confidence – to realise that universities and the places that may feel exclusive to them are open to them too.

Transformations has also influenced my further education and career choices. I was lucky enough to study for a Masters degree in Cambridge last year on the interplay between knowledge, power and politics in education.

Now, I work in Liverpool running a network of over 120 advice-giving charities. We’re working to improve access to advice for people who need it most and to provide much-needed resources for an incredibly over-stretched charitable sector. I think of advice a bit like Transformations – we’re never telling people what to do, simply showing them the options available and reassuring them that they have the power and ability to change their circumstances.

Edward, English Literature graduate of 2022 and former Transformations President

There were so many skills that I learnt from taking part in transformations and from being a part of the executive team. I remember in my second year when I was applying for legal training contracts, a lot of what I wrote about was my experiences from Transformations. I wrote why the charitable aims of giving back and helping to improve educational attainment and spreading the joy of literature was so important to me, I wrote about how I learnt about being punctual, leading a team, public speaking, drafting a presentation and so much more from being part of Transformations. The programme was the perfect vessel for me to practise a lot of the transferrable skills that are needed to be a solicitor.

Since graduating from Warwick, I have completed my conversion course to Law and am now half-way through my LLM and SQE qualifications.

As a result of my work with Transformations, I have also been able to work with OCR as the Chairman of the EDIB Strategic Board, even helping with their recent review of 11-16 Curriculum and Assessment in England. I am very thankful for the skills and experiences I gained from being part of such an important programme like Transformations.

Yinka, English and History graduate of 2023 and former Transformations Co-President

Transformations, for me, was not only a great way to meet new people but enriched me with the experience of having an insight into what teaching really feels like. Over the two years I have done the programme, I developed from a tutor to a senior tutor, allowing myself to have a sense of responsibility when working in my teams across the schools I visited.

I found Transformations really interesting since I actually took part in the programme as a student myself whilst I was at secondary school. I’ve loved being able to see things from another perspective – which made me remember how fun and engaging I saw the programme when I did it at school.

During this experience, I developed a range of valuable skills – including communication, patience and classroom management. I also learnt how to effectively explain and teach concepts in clear and engaging ways – all valuable assets which I had used in order to help myself progress into the teaching position that I have been working towards. The experience I had gained here was instrumental for helping me gain a place on the TeachFirst programme where I will be teaching English in a Secondary School this upcoming year. I am so thankful for what Transformations has opened my eyes to, as I’m sure this experience will be reflected in my upcoming career.

Courtney, English Literature graduate of 2025 and former Transformations Senior Tutor

Being an international student in a foreign land, the Transformations programme allowed me to be a part of a diverse community that gave me a smooth pathway into the UK’s education system and a sense of functioning within the university.

For me personally, being able to teach and interact with school children gave me a sense of how best to approach my studies since the system was quite different from what I was used to in my home country. Moreover, being part of this, helped ease a sense of loneliness through the various interactions and activities we had throughout the year.

The big takeaway for me was the various indirect and direct skill sets that I acquired; like management, planning and communication. With children one needs to be creative to engage with them; communication too needs to be well thought-out. These in particular help me with my role in the publishing industry when I am engaging with authors and editors.

Prisha, MA in World Literature (2023) now Editorial Assistant with an international academic publishing company, Delhi, India