Lucy Roach
PE Teacher - The de Ferrers Academy
Having always been involved in Sport from a young age, Lucy's passion for sport and how it could help push her to be the best she could be continued that alongside her studies at Loughborough. This led to Lucy engaging in a range of opportunities to develop her personal and professional skills, from a Sports Ambassador and SportMAD coach, to Chair of the CVA Committee and Sports Senate member.
Tell us a little about yourself (E.g. hobbies, interests and background):
I have always been involved in Sport from a young age; I loved the competitive nature of it and how it could push me to be the best I could be. I set my sights on attending Loughborough University early, as I visited regularly for Athletics competitions over my high school years. Now, I like to keep active through running longer distances and seeing what my body is cape able of. I also enjoy exploring new areas, whether that be on foot through the fields and hills or on my bike on the country lanes. Since attending Loughborough, I have become a big Netball fan and follow Loughborough Lightning in the VNSL.
How did you first get involved in volunteering/ placement within sport at Loughborough?
I first got involved in volunteering at Loughborough when I spoke to a member of staff from Loughborough Sport at the Freshers fair in my first few weeks of university. I was eager to get involved in as much as I could at Loughborough, being the keen bean that I am. I became a School Ambassador on the School Visit programme, delivering talks to schools and showing them around the amazing facilities; I was inspired to do this after coming on a school visit myself and falling in love with the University. I really enjoyed talking to students about how incredible Loughborough is and inspiring them on their journey in Sport and higher education; I well and truly caught the volunteering bug!
During your years at Loughborough what did you get involved in through volunteering within sport?
I got involved in a broad range of volunteer opportunities during my time at Loughborough due to my desire to be involved in facilitating sport. I became a Social Leagues Sports Coordinator and ran my own Badminton social league with a bunch of girls who I still keep in contact with today; I was responsible for recruiting the participants, running the league including arranging fixtures and turning up every week to the session. I also got involved in the SportMAD coaching programme, where I gained various coaching qualifications and used my knowledge and skills to help run sports sessions on campus as well as in local schools. During my final year of university, I became the chair of the CVA and lead the committee to achieve some amazing things; we were involved in launching the CVA portal, developing the opportunities on offer through student voice, and running the amazing CVA awards. As the CVA chair, I was a member of the sports senate with the other sporting leads to help shape the sporting offer at Loughborough University.
What was your experience volunteering/ on placement like?
I enjoyed meeting lots of new people through my volunteer roles, who were like-minded individuals and had lots of common interests with me. Leading a committee is always tough as you have a lot of responsibility, whist managing a team to achieve its goals effectively and efficiently. Despite this, it was an incredibly rewarding experience where I learned a lot of transferable skills and was supported amazingly by the staff at Loughborough Sport. A key highlight for me was being a part of the CVA Leadership Academy and going on a great residential trip to Wales with other leaders within Loughborough Sport.
How has being involved with Loughborough Sport helped you develop and progress (personally and professionally)?
Loughborough Sport undoubtably provided me with the most amazing opportunities which helped me to progress to be the person that I am today. I learned so many things off the people I met and worked with and through the roles which I undertook. I was able to gain a large number of coaching qualifications, including Level 1 Coaching Award in Netball, Handball and Dodgeball, all of which looked fantastic on my CV. My experiences gave me so much to talk about in applications and interviews, single-handily helping me to gain a spot on the PE PGCE here at Loughborough and then my first PE teaching position. At the end of the day, there are so many people who leave university with a degree, it’s what you do alongside it that is most important and the CVA helped me down that path with the sheer number of opportunities on offer.
What’s the best advice you could give to a Loughborough student looking to get involved in volunteering and gain the most out of their university experiences?
Take every opportunity that you can! Your biggest regret will be the things you didn’t do so try things out, have fun and enjoy every minute. Really make the most of your first year when workload is smaller and get involved with a number of things that are on offer. You never know what each opportunity has in store for you and it might take you down a path you didn’t expect.
Finally, what do you enjoy most about volunteering?
The feeling you get when you give back to community that has benefited you. All of the wonderful people you wouldn’t have met previously, who are volunteering for the exact same reason that you are! The positive memories you get to look back on fondly, because you said yes to opportunities that were on your doorstep.
Feeling inspired?
Feeling inspired by Lucy's experience? Check out the CVA Portal regularly for opportunities.