Pratichya Gurung

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m Trish and I’m 20 years old. I was born in Nepal and I’ve been living in Liverpool for about 10 years now. During my two years in college, I studied Fine Art, English Literature, French, and Maths AS. Currently, I’m in the second year of my Childhood Studies degree and, as I have been studying Japanese as part of my discovery module, I'm looking forward to going to Japan next year as part of the Horizon Year Abroad programme.

What motivated you to apply to study your chosen course and why did you chose Leeds?

Compared to the other universities that I had visited I felt more connected to Leeds University and I felt excited at the thought of studying here. Plus, when I visited it was springtime and the flowers around campus and the city were in bloom. That was enough to captivate me.

I knew that I wanted to work with young children but since I didn’t know what career I wanted I decided that Childhood Studies would be the best option. It offers a holistic approach to understanding children and young people and the future career possibilities with this course are abundant.

What do you think of your course? Have there been any particular highlights for you?

In my first year there was a module about the social and cultural world of children, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was evident as I actively showed my engagement through class participation. It was really fun as we were provided with the opportunity to explore children’s books, films and games. In fact, I got to write an entire essay about one of my favourite childhood movies!

This year for one of our modules, we’ve had numerous lectures from which we have gained various perspectives on education through guest speakers, ranging from Vietnam to South Africa.

Have you had the opportunity to study abroad, or complete a year in industry?

As I’m in my second year, I will be taking part in a Horizon Year Abroad programme next year at Nagoya University in Japan. I’m really excited about this as this is a little bit different to a traditional study abroad exchange; a Horizon Year Abroad is a more of a cultural exchange. Whilst most of my lectures in Japan will be taught in English, I will also continue to get Japanese language lessons through which I can improve my language skill in a formal setting. Another reason I’m particularly excited about this exchange programme is that I would like to visit nurseries and primary schools in Japan in order to have a look at the differences and similarities to the British ones.

Have you been involved in extra-curricular activities?

Since my first year I have been very proactive in my student life. I’ve been volunteering with a charity shop since last year. I was also part of the Sign Language Society and Badminton Society in my first year. This year I play badminton and basketball casually at least once a week with my friends. Although I’m not a paying member, I often visit the East Asian Research Society’s Wednesday afternoon tea as well as making occasional visits to the Japanese Society’s Monday pub socials.

Additionally, I have worked for the University as an Ambassador on open days a few times. Currently, I am a Leeds Loves Social Sciences Ambassador where we visit sixth forms and colleges to deliver talks about our current course in order to raise aspirations among the pupils. Furthermore, I am also an Intercultural Ambassador through which I have planned and successfully carried out two events at a primary school with a team to raise cultural awareness among children. Soon, during the final two weeks of the Easter holidays I will be volunteering at a primary school to help children with their studies.