With my second year of university approaching, I wanted to look back on what an amazing first year I've had at Buckinghamshire New University studying Creative Advertising!

Starting the year with a trip to Ogilvy and being treated to a talk from the incredible Rory Sutherland was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Being given such wonderful advice and insight into the advertising world was incredible, and I even managed to win a signed copy of his new book!

Throughout the year, I worked on many briefs, experiencing the creative process of creating an advert from a brief and how to dissect it. One standout brief was taking the end line from a famous company and developing adverts inspired by it, which I had the pleasure of creating with Lani Bristow. We used Persil's "Dirt is Good" and made a billboard poster showing the fun that comes from getting dirty.

My class was also blessed with another agency trip, this time to Modern Citizens, where we were given an amazing talk by Stu Outhwaite-Noel, who provided us with powerful advice and inspired us as students.

In the final term, I was given my first client brief, written by Beatriz Romao Hossain. The brief was to develop a campaign that makes a ritual for students at the Spindle and Thread in High Wycombe. My classmate and I created a series of adverts and social media posts with the line "Home is where the pub is", bridging the connection of homesickness that freshers experience with the familiarity of a local pub.

And alongside all of these amazing projects and visits, I was given the amazing opportunity to create adverts and social media posts for Bucks Revival at the Bucks Students'​ Union, using nostalgia to create magazine-inspired posters for their event! These were placed all across the University campus and the SU bar and club.

Also, a big thank you to Julie Wright and Paul Burke for coming in and speaking to us. Hearing both of you talk about how different areas of the advertising world function and your own experiences was inspiring and gave me a whole new outlook on where my career can go!

I'm so grateful for all these moments, and I can't wait to see what the second year brings! Shoutout to Andy Imrie and Greg Martin for making all of this possible, you guys are the best.