“I’ve always loved maths and physics. I studied Computer Science at GCSE and A-level, and it was just something that really stuck with me,” Olivia explains. “It felt like a natural fit to continue that at university.”

Olivia received the Cognni scholarship while studying at Leeds Beckett, awarded to a first-year student from the Leeds area whose family have an annual household income of £25,000 or less. She says it made a real difference to her student experience.

“The scholarship helped massively. In Computer Science, we use so many different tools and software – just having access to those at home made a big difference and it let me experiment with things. I was commuting every day from Tingley too, and the support really helped with travel costs and made that experience much easier.”

Based at the university’s Headingley Campus, Olivia says the sense of community really shaped her time at Leeds Beckett.

“It’s a really nice campus – and parking is so much easier at Headingley!” she laughs. “But more than that, there’s a real community feel, especially around Headingley and Hyde Park. You walk into any pub, and you’re surrounded by other students. It’s really social and you feel like you’re part of something.”

One of the highlights of Olivia’s course came in her first year, when she had the opportunity to join a university-funded international trip to Nepal.

“I never expected university to give me so many opportunities,” she says. “I got to work on a project using Raspberry Pi to tackle pollution issues, and I was working alongside students from Nepal. It opened my eyes to a completely different culture. It honestly gave me the travel bug – it made me want to see more of the world.”

As well as international opportunities, Olivia also credits the course with preparing her for the world of work.

“We had loads of chances to network and speak with people in the industry, even attend conferences. It wasn’t just about sitting in lectures – it was about understanding how to apply the skills I was learning. That made it feel real.”

Now about to begin her postgraduate studies, Olivia is full of gratitude for the university and course team who helped her get here.

“I’m excited to start my master’s – it feels like the right time to try something new. But I’ll definitely stay in touch with my friends and the lecturers from Beckett. They’ve always given me great advice and support.”

Looking back, Olivia says university has been far more than just academic achievement.

“When I first thought about going to uni, I expected it to be the hardest three years of my life,” she says. “But it’s actually been really enjoyable. I went on the Nepal trip, I’ve been invited to conferences, networking with people. I got to have a taste of what I’ll be doing when I leave.”

For more information about studying BSc Computer Science at Leeds Beckett, click here.