During my placement at Capgemini, I got a real feel for what it takes to deliver high-quality solutions for clients, all while earning my Diploma in Industrial Studies. I was hands-on across the entire ATE lifecycle, from researching parts and building hardware to testing, safety compliance, and sorting out the delivery documentation. A huge highlight was getting to present a poster on this work at the 2025 High Integrity Software Conference (HISC). But it wasn’t all just technical work; I loved organising the office socials and charity fundraisers, too! Throwing myself into every challenge gave me a great taste of the working world, helped me build a solid professional reputation, and allowed me to make some fantastic friends along the way!
At Loughborough, I have had the opportunity to take part in a wide range of rewarding experiences, both through my course and wider university activities. Beyond the coursework, I wanted to make the most of everything Loughborough has to offer. That led to some wild adventures with Loughborough RAG, like the LOST challenge, where I hitchhiked 100 miles back to campus to raise money for Centrepoint, and DASH to Dubrovnik, a charity road trip from the UK to Dubrovnik for Amnesty International!
In my second year, I completed a micro-internship as a Research Software Engineer within the University's Physics Department, gaining valuable industry-relevant experience alongside my studies. Professionally, the micro-internship was my first real software engineering role and a massive eye-opener - having an open-ended brief and total free rein forced me to take ownership of the project and define the scope.
I also took part in the Collaborate Sprint innovation challenge at Loughborough University London, where I worked with a multidisciplinary team to tackle real-world problems in a hackathon environment. It was fast-paced, high-pressure, and a great way to connect with new people while trying to solve genuine issues.
In my final year, I designed and worked on my own individual project in collaboration with the team at the Thousand Brains Project. Getting the opportunity to play a role in an open-source project that I’m incredibly enthusiastic about was amazing! There’s a great deal of flexibility in designing the aim and scope of your project and I highly recommend giving some prior thought to what you might want to tackle.
I was also lucky enough to attend a UK-Taiwan international relations trip, organised by the UK Government, the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF), and SEMI Taiwan. Being selected to head out there as a student representative was an absolute privilege! The trip gave me an amazing insight into Taiwan's world-leading semiconductor industry and an understanding of the importance of international collaboration in this sector.
Alongside my academic work, I joined Loughborough's Archery Club in my 2nd year, which gave me the incredible opportunity to train alongside some of the University's most talented archers. It also provided a fun way to reset and step away from my studies.
