Beth Travers

I initially applied for the Fashion Design course, which was unavailable, so I chose Art and Design to gain a greater skillset.

I wanted to go on to university, so college was a great stepping stone to that goal.

They’re there for you, they listen to the direction you want to go in life and they guide you and give you the tools to get you there.

It’s a great atmosphere. You build friendships, skills and you’re surrounded by creative people so it’s impossible to not be inspired.

I really enjoyed the visitor aspect, where people came and gave talks about their career, showed their work and told us of their journey through college, university and to where they are now. It made me believe it was possible.

The variety of design briefs. Graphic Design, Fine Art, Photography, Textiles, no day was the same.

To believe and trust in myself. To just go for it.

College is a really great platform to get you started on your further education journey. It will give you the confidence you need for university but also help you develop your skills and discover your design aesthetic.

Fun, inspirational, educational.

I now run an award-winning design studio in Manchester.

Studying at Sunderland College gave me the tools and opened doors so I could go confidently to university and the design world.

The skills I learned at college were built upon and developed whilst at university and I use them daily.

Without college I would not be where I am today designing for hotels and bars and supplying products all over the world.

I really loved college. We worked hard and played harder, but at the time you don’t realise just how much you benefit and the knowledge you soak up from the few short years you are there.