The University’s annual Alumni Gala Dinner took place on Saturday, 22 June 2024. The event saw over a hundred alumni and their guests return to campus, honouring their post-graduation contributions to CCCU.

The highlight of the Alumni Gala Dinner is the Alumni Awards ceremony, which saw the highest number of awards given to date. This year’s second Community Hero Award was won by Louisa Arnold (BA/BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science With Tourism And Leisure Studies, 2003). Louisa aims to make sport accessible for all, helping local sporting organizations, the homeless, disabled, and older community members. She led Project 500 to increase female sports coaches, winning a National UK Coaching award in 2018. Louisa also volunteers as a netball coach and mentors students on coaching qualifications.

Read on to hear her story.

Tell us about your current role.

After 20 years working full time in the sport and physical activity sector I decided to make a change and create time to explore these passions further in a freelance capacity.

I currently work part-time in the Careers and Employability service at the University of Kent whilst I develop an activity programme for older adults to develop their strength, balance, and coordination.
This change in career enables me to build on my coaching and mentoring skills whilst learning all about new sectors STEM students aspire to work in.

What made you want to pursue a career in sport?

Sport was always my first passion, I was fortunate to have a very active childhood and a big brother who was both my daily competition and my first coach. My parents encouraged me to try multiple sports free from pressure and I realised that the joy I got from being active and the skills I learnt playing in teams was something I wanted to share with others.

What is your favourite thing about what you do?

Whether it is coaching women and girls in netball, delivering fundamentals to older adults or tutoring students and community coaches, my favourite things are the same. I love creating positive environments for people to enjoy being active with others, develop their skills and confidence.

If anyone reading is thinking of working in your field, what advice would you give them?

Say yes to opportunities that come your way, who knows where it might lead. I accessed funded training in Seated Exercise, Falls Prevention and Behaviour Change. It might not have seemed overly relevant to sports coaching then but it all helped me get to where I am today.

Get experience in the area you are interested in and ask questions of those already working in the sector. It’s never too early to join networks or take advantage of discounted student memberships with professional bodies. I would highly recommend the Women’s Sport Collective!

How did you come to study at CCCU when you did? Why BA/BSc Sport and Exercise Science with Tourism and Leisure Studies?

To be honest, I didn’t really want to go to university, I didn’t even complete the UCAS application as I didn’t want to study again after A-Levels. However, after a year working in retail with some casual coaching I decided it was time to rethink that. Applying for multiple sport-related roles and not even securing an interview made me think that a degree was my only option. Apprenticeships in this sector are thankfully more common now.

In August 2000, I contacted CCCU to see what was possible and they had a space on that course. I started in September. Three years later I had a degree in Sport and Exercise Science with Tourism and Leisure Studies.

What is your fondest memory of your time at CCCU?

I am not sure I felt fondly about this at the time but on reflection, the challenge of fitness training methods in those first weeks of the Sport Science course taught me a lot about myself and helped me realise that progress is progress, no matter how slow. I joined the circuit training class with some other students and felt a real sense of achievement six weeks later when I ran the 1.5 mile course again.

How did your time at university impact on your life and career post-education?

I stayed at home whilst at University so I didn’t engage in many of the social experiences available to me but I loved the subjects I studied. Skill Acquisition, Sociology and Psychology of Sport Coaching all influenced my career choices and continue to be motivators in what I do. The lecturers in those subjects have remained part of my professional networks, meeting them at national coaching conferences and having the privilege of working with them in my workforce role when I returned to Kent in 2010. It has been wonderful to combine my work with that of CCCU staff and students as we hosted a young coach academy, numerous workshops and also measured the impact of a female coaching initiative and a local coach mentoring programme.

What does being a CCCU Alum mean to you?

The connection to the institution that set you on your way to your career is something very special, especially when that career turns out to be your perfect fit! It is a pleasure to return and share my experiences with current students who may be future local or national leaders in the Sport and Physical Activity sector.

What are your goals for the future?

As I move into a new career stage away from the security of a full time salary, my goal is to retain the professional and personal satisfaction I have had the good fortune to experience so far.

I hope to achieve this by developing my business skills, addressing my discomfort of self-promotion and demonstrating that a multi-skills approach to strength, balance and coordination can help older adults live longer, better.