Meet our team: Susie

Do you remember how it feels to be a new student, on your first day at school? My role as Student Services Manager at Event Academy is all about making every students’ journey with us a smooth and enjoyable one and helping our students get the most out of their studies. I know that it really helps if you feel a personal connection with the team here, so the first thing I do is make sure we get photos of all our students when they apply. This helps us get to know everyone before they even walk through the door.

Putting people at ease allows them to get the most out of their experience with us (just like running an event!)

When I get a call from one of our students who is stressed about something on the course, the Student Services team helps them figure it out. There are three of us who work in student services and we listen and clarify exactly what a student needs to do when they have questions. The human approach of having someone to talk to really helps, especially when our students face obstacles. One part of my job where I often feel like I make a real difference is helping students who are having a difficult time in their personal lives. We know that life doesn’t always run according to plan and we had a lovely thank you message from a student recently who’d suffered a family bereavement. We helped the student rearrange a placement interview and catch up on lectures they missed, as clearly they had to be with their family at this difficult time. I go home happy when I know I’ve helped a student who may have been unable to complete the course without that flexibility and assistance we offer.

I love knowing that our students want to stay in touch after they finish the course

Students sometimes tell us that they feel like they are a part of the Ashdown family, which may sound like an exaggeration, but I promise you it is true! Claire (our Director of Education) and Justine (our Course Director), stay in touch by email and meet up with many of our alumni. This is a great way for us to pass on opportunities that seem right for a particular person or offer them informal advice once they’ve finished the course. We also love to know how our students are getting on with their careers after they finish! One of our alumni recently had a baby and I organised a congratulations card for everyone in the office to sign and we sent some flowers. Those little things mean such a lot and are also fun to do. The events industry is all about the network of relationships you create, so of course we practice what we preach.

Student testimonial, Summer 2015: “Susie has been great, always fast to respond every time I’ve contacted her! Thank you!”

Another part of my role is organising open evenings here at Event Academy. I contact some of our alumni and ask them if they’d like to come and speak about their experiences. When I started doing this I was worried no one would be available or interested. I soon learned this is never a problem! I always have plenty of volunteers and our alumni are always excited to say hello and talk about their personal experiences on the course and where it’s taken them. That says more to me than anything else. If they’re willing to give up their own time to talk about what they enjoyed about the course then they must have had a good experience with us.