International Women’s Day: The woman that has inspired me

Coming to university and, for some, moving away from home can be challenging. As an international student, I was most nervous about having to face this whole new world alone. I did not know what to expect and how to deal with this overwhelming situation.

The most drastic switch for me was my learning methods and coping up with university life. I came from an educational system that was very straight forward and practical, into one that was more innovative and creative.

I met Nikki Dawson in my first year as an Events Management student. On the first day of my induction we were introduced to our tutors and were given all the necessary information for our modules. As with many other courses, I had to choose an optional module and I chose Sports, Leisure and Recreation, where Nikki was our module leader.

Her techniques of teaching were very different, not only from back home but also from other tutors on our course. She always believed that true knowledge doesn’t just lie in text books. Nikki always interacted with us and made us feel involved during our lectures. She made our lecture sessions a fun and engaging conversation every week. This was her method of passing on content with current and practical examples, making it a lot easier for us to remember and grasp information.

Besides her unique teaching style, I was fascinated with how friendly and approachable Nikki was as a person. She showed us a new side of a teacher-student relationship – one that all of us really appreciated. What inspired me the most was her funny approach and responses to obstacles, as well as her determination and practical skills in the events field.

Nikki mainly dealt with stage management and risks of an event. I have never seen a woman as controlled and calm as she is whilst setting up an event. She would build the same stage and backdrop almost every other day and never got bored of it.

This quality made me fall in love with setting-up events, and gave me the skillset of event lights and sounds.

I will be forever grateful to this strong, graceful woman for teaching me that stereotypes can be broken; for giving me a friend and a lecturer in one; for building my confidence and giving me a smooth journey as an Events Management student; and most importantly for being someone I can admire and desire to be like in the future. I wish her all the best and a Happy International Women’s Day!

Marasha N Fernandes

Final Year Events Management Student.