First year Performing Arts student talks about how coronavirus has potentially created a new way to perform, digitally

I’m Beth and I’m a first-year student studying Performing Arts here at Leeds Beckett University and I’m currently staying in Arena Village Halls for first year students.

I chose to study Performing Arts as I adore the arts and have done since a young age. I wanted to continue this journey at Beckett to reach my best potential and take this passion into a career I love and enjoy.

Starting this course during a pandemic made me very nervous however it was great to see how my course could be adapted to fit the current guidelines. It’s exciting because who knows…we could have created a new way of performance and not even know it right now!

I feel so blessed to have been welcomed by the Leeds School of Arts team, especially in times of uncertainty, they’ve made me feel part of a community. Of course, there is more online learning then in ‘normal’ times, but I am so lucky to get as much face-to-face learning as I do. Additionally, the lecturers ensure that the modules not only expand our knowledge and understanding of Performing Arts but they also support us from a mental health perspective as well.

Studying such a physical course and fitting it around the current online learning situation is such a challenge but I feel lucky to be able to continue my education and work towards my dream job.

If you are worried about starting university during the pandemic, or continuing your study during this time, just know that you could be part of a legacy, a new way of learning. Find the good in the bad. Make a list of things you want to achieve in 2021. Make this your year. A year for developing, creating, expanding, and connecting. Adventure is out there. If you have the courage to find it.