Alishah’s story
Age 25
This is the story of a young person who is driven by success. Alishah is the testament of someone who’s always looking for various opportunities to grow and develop. However, she got trapped in the cunning COVID-19 walls and lost hope as well as motivation which resulted in her being lethargic, unmotivated and trapped in a very dark place.
Let us take you a bit back in time- When she was younger, Alishah attended school & college where she gained a BTEC National Diploma in Childcare Level 3, shortly after she applied for university with Childhood studies, her long held passion, however, she never went to university eventually.
“That’s not who I am…I realised I was putting too much pressure on myself, University is not for everyone and that’s ok! It just didn’t feel right at the time”
Shortly after, she caught herself being in a whirlwind of events – she suddenly developed many interests and passions, but then she gave up, she found herself losing motivation and as a result she became lazy – “Something I haven’t yet experienced in my life”
“Something had to change” – Alishah thought
She was determined to change her life for the better and went to her local job centre to seek more opportunities. Her work coach recommended Sport 4 Life’s services, as CV & Interview skills was where Alishah was mainly lacking. She shares that she decided to join Sport 4 Life because of the CV, Interview & confidence-building workshops.
“I FEEL LIKE I’M NOT THE SAME PERSON ANYMORE. BEFORE COMING TO SPORT 4 LIFE, I COULDN’T PUT WORDS TOGETHER, I WAS VERY CLOSED AND INTROVERTED AND SPORT 4 LIFE’S STAFF MEMBERS GAVE ME OPPORTUNITIES I NEVER THOUGHT I’D HAVE!”
“My confidence was holding me back…I mean, the lack of it, and Sport 4 Life really do help with that, so I decided to join”
“I felt like my CV was really basic & standard, so I needed advice on how to make it look and sound more interesting, both my mentors- Jeni & Izzy helped a lot with that”
Sport 4 Life was a life-changing experience for Alishah. Her first mentor-Jeni, put her on a Teaching Assistant Diploma course to further explore her passion for teaching, which Alishah successfully qualified for.
“I often think about what my favourite moments of my Sport 4 Life journey were…meeting the mentors and talking to them, the Mental Health Social Campaign we did during Covid, being involved with many things and of course, meeting new people”
However, after this, another lockdown hit and schools closed down, which resulted in Alishah losing her job again because of Covid. She was in a difficult place. One thing that helped her keep herself busy during those challenging times was baking. Her curiosity made her explore various courses online to keep herself busy and learn new things.
Sport 4 Life helped Alishah by supporting her with her application for Now Education, primary school. As a result, she became a teaching assistant- something she’s always wanted to do.
“My mentor helped me with that. She even provided me with a reference”
“The mentors at Sport 4 Life are so helpful and understanding. They listen to you and prioritise your needs, they also make it really easy to open up with them!”
Today, Alishah dreams big and follows her dreams. Even though she had previously applied for University and decided that it wasn’t for her, encouraged by her mentors at Sport 4 Life she decided to give it another go and she’s starting her degree in Education on September, 1st, 2022 at Birmingham City University. Alishah and her mentor had a look at the course together and Izzy supported her in the whole process – with the application, motivation and guidance.
“A key takeaway for me from my Sport 4 Life journey is to think long-term & plan my future. I am more motivated. I am more present and looking forward to the future. I’m more responsible, independent and accountable for my actions. The one to one support I received at Sport 4 Life contributed greatly to this!”
In five years time, Alishah sees herself graduating from University and becoming a successful primary school teacher.