Clearing the way to a better future

The chance to make brighter, better future for herself  persuaded Daisha Lewis to think about a university education.

Working at the London Ambulance Service as a dispatcher, she’d coped with terrorist incidents and Covid - but she was ready to make a complete break and build herself a new career.

Initially interested in the social sciences, she eventually settled on a media communications course. When she didn’t quite manage to get a place at the university she'd planned on, she decided to enter Clearing. She said,

This process was vital, as having not secured my chosen university place, clearing made the process of choosing a course easier and less stressful in a time when where my educational journey was uncertain.

She won both a place at UEL and one of the University’s scholarships. Returning to education after years away might have been daunting to some, but not Daisah. 

She said, “It was refreshing to meet like-minded people, particularly as the course had a few other mature students enrolled. I loved learning about a brand-new subject and my academics were incredibly supportive and inspiring, pushing me to question the world and think critically, embracing new perspectives.”

With assistance from UEL’s dedicated career staff, a future in fashion marketing looks set to take off. She said, 

UEL’s Career Zone service helped me secure a four-month internship in marketing for a luxury fashion brand. It helped me put theory into practice and understand business and brand management. I’m excited to begin working in the marketing industry, putting everything I have learnt into practice.”

So how important, in the end, was the Clearing process in helping her on her journey? Daisha said she is so determined she’d always have succeeded, but it would have been more difficult, “I do believe that if Clearing wasn’t there, I would have been able to progress exactly the same way in my life, but I believe that this is because of my attitude and focus towards getting a degree, but not without a significant blow to my confidence. Clearing helped streamline what felt like a setback, making it less impactful in hindsight.”