Coding a future full of possibilities: Laura’s Leeds Beckett experience

Laura, who is from Leeds, chose to study at Leeds Beckett because of its practical approach to teaching and the strong sense of community she felt from the start.

“I had different options after sixth form, but I decided to come here because it was closer to home. When I looked at what they were teaching and the way they were teaching, it felt much more practical than other places and offered more opportunities.”

Laura’s interest in computer science began at a young age, inspired by a love of technology and problem-solving.

“My dad is a networking consultant, so I was always interested in electronics, video games and building things. At first, I thought I wanted to go into robotics, but as AI started evolving so quickly, I realised there were so many different branches of tech to explore.”

Rather than specialising too early, Laura chose computer science so she could experience a bit of everything before deciding where to focus her career.

“I wanted to study something broad so I could explore different areas like software development, games and AI, and then decide what I actually enjoyed most.”
Looking back on her three years at Leeds Beckett, Laura says she has grown just as much personally as she has academically.

“I was very shy when I first started university. In my first year, I didn’t really talk to many people, but by second year I thought, I’m at university; I’m going to enjoy this.”

She got more involved in university life by joining societies, taking on projects and meeting new people.

“I’ve become much more extroverted and confident. I take more initiative now. University really helped me come out of my shell.”

Laura says one of the biggest challenges of university was learning how to manage her time independently and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

“The biggest challenge was adapting to the independence. You have to manage your own time and find a balance between studying, socialising and having time for yourself. That was probably one of the biggest lessons for me.”

One of the standout highlights of Laura’s degree was her final-year project: a smart water bottle system designed to help people track their daily hydration.
The system uses a device fitted into a bottle lid to monitor water intake and send data directly to a phone, allowing users to set reminders and monitor hydration throughout the day.

“I loved working on that project because it solved a real problem in a practical way. Around 75% of people in the UK don’t drink enough water, so it felt exciting to create something that could genuinely help people.”

Laura is proud of the project’s commercial potential and hopes it could one day reach the market.

“I’d love for a company to pick it up and help turn it into a proper product. My dream would be to build something from an idea into a real business and see people using it.”

Her ambitions don’t stop there. Alongside her water bottle project, Laura is also working on entrepreneurial ventures involving technology solutions for attendance systems, while exploring future opportunities in software development.

“I started coding when I was 13 and my dream has always been to turn something I love into my career. If my projects take off, I’d love to continue building my own ideas and creating things.”

Outside the classroom, Laura made the most of university life by becoming Treasurer of the Games Society and representing Leeds Beckett in esports as part of the women and non-binary team.

“That was such a fun experience. Training with everyone, competing and representing the university was amazing.”

Laura believes the supportive culture at Leeds Beckett is what makes the university stand out.

“The lecturers here are incredibly supportive. Because class sizes are smaller, they get to know you by name and genuinely want you to succeed.”

She also values the collaborative environment among students.

“At Leeds Beckett, everyone really lifts each other up. There’s competition, but it feels healthy, people want to help each other rather than bring each other down. That sense of community is special.”

Laura’s advice to anyone considering studying computer science is to embrace eery opportunity and push beyond their comfort zone.

“Get involved in as much as you can. Join societies, talk to people and don’t be afraid to ask for help. University is about so much more than just getting your degree, it’s where you grow as a person too.”

Find out more about studying Computer Science at Leeds Beckett University.