Maro Ukpedor

Media and Communication - BA (Hons)

Deciding to move from her hometown of London, Maro was excited by the concept of studying in a city as bustling as Birmingham. She knew that moving would push her out of her comfort zone and allow her to meet new people and gain new experiences.

"I am most proud of how much I grew during my time at BCU. I gained so much self-confidence and maturity due to being able to experience so many new things. Moving away from home helped me to discover areas in which I lacked discipline, and I was able to learn how to be independent and self-motivated. Putting myself out there led to gaining a position as a Student Content Officer. I had so much fun making vlogs for the BCU YouTube channel, as well as doing Instagram takeovers during Open Days.

Studying at BCU helped me to discover new interests within the media industry, which has left me incredibly excited to get stuck into the world of work. The opportunity to gain work experience through my industry placement will be helpful in helping me navigate which area I would like to pursue.  

Throughout my time at BCU I was able to experience lots of new hobbies through their range of societies. I joined the Cheerleading Society in my first year, which was so fun and exciting for me, as this was something I had never done before. I also joined the Gospel Choir Society which made me feel at home; attending both the society and church made me feel very supported when I felt a bit lost at the start of my first year. I fit into the BCU community in my own way, and have met so many amazing people that I never would’ve met without BCU.

I initially found attending my lectures to be quite daunting, but I quickly began to feel at ease thanks to my lecturers creating a relaxed and informal environment. The University and city as a whole is so diverse and multicultural, which also made me feel relaxed due to its similarities with my home city of London. Another challenge was to keep on top of my assignments and find a way to organise my workload when I was getting used to being independent. I was motivated at university to keep a work diary, and to know when to be confident in my abilities to move on from a task, which helped me be time efficient.

Looking back, there is such a difference between who I was when I started my BCU journey compared to me now that I have graduated. I felt supported throughout my journey at BCU; from my lecturer's eagerness to help me understand and refine my assignments, to resources such as Careers+ and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Team. The access to so many high-quality facilities and equipment at my fingertips on campus was one of my favourite aspects of being a student at BCU.

For me, 'I AM BCU' is being part of a community – a family. I felt so welcomed since starting my journey here, from the overwhelming support I've received from my lecturers to the amazing friendships I have made. BCU is such a diverse and welcoming place for all, no matter your age or background.”