“Be who you want to become …
… by walking the walk and talking the talk”, was a quote Gina Buckney, motivational and educational speaker, shared with the Year 11 and 12 students at UTC Leeds earlier this month.
The UTC has been working very hard to ensure student wellbeing is a priority during the pandemic and recognised that this goes beyond the use of PPE. Whilst face masks, hand gel and physical safety are at the forefront of everyone’s minds, the UTC also recognises that mental wellbeing is of the utmost importance.
“Innovation is something we pride ourselves on at the UTC, anyone who has visited the campus would see that we are focused, driven and we are always looking for new ways to give our students the edge.” Neil Copsey, Head of KS5.
“The times we find ourselves in, with the current lockdown in Leeds, could be challenging for our students and, following the recent return to classroom-based working, we understand that it’s our responsibility to keep students motivated and focused on their futures,” said Jane Fitzpatrick, Business Engagement Lead, who decided to take pro-active action to do exactly that by partnering with Gina to coordinate the delivery of her keynote speaking presentation, ‘Becoming the Champion in Your Life’.
Gina delivered a compelling and interactive session with the students, which left them inspired and full of thoughts about their dream jobs and lifestyle. She demonstrated some practical applications of visualisation, a technique used by top athletes. She was personally taught this technique very early on in her career by her mentor, Frank Dick, OBE, ex-Olympic Athlete Coach and world-renowned business motivational speaker. Gina graduated with a BSc in Business Information Systems and went on to work for some of the biggest UK companies, leading teams of over 450 people and managing budgets of £500m+. She has been on two Fast Track Leadership Programmes and therefore was an obvious choice for the UTC.
“I was delighted to partner with UTC Leeds for this event. The students were engaging and willing to learn. The building is impressive and I love the fact they have a racing car casually parked in the atrium. I use Lewis Hamilton’s unshakable determination and self-belief as an example in my presentation, so it was very fitting. I was also equally impressed by the speakers’ auditorium. I felt like I could have been delivering my presentation to a group of corporates.”
