Back in April 2021 we caught up with UW Alumni and Worcester Wolves guard Estella to discuss her time as a UW student and the amazing time she had when she signed up for a study abroad scheme. At the time of the interview Estella was waiting to start her MSc here. However due to low numbers of enrolment at Universities across the UK, since the start of the pandemic, some courses were dropped. Unfortunately for Estella and our University women’s Basketball team MSc International Sports Management, was one of them here at UW.

Before attending Worcester, you grew up playing Basketball in your home city of Bristol. Upon graduating from college, what influenced your decision to attend University of Worcester?

I chose UW mainly for the basketball programme, I knew I wanted to continue playing basketball and actually attend a programme where I could develop. I felt I could come here and get minutes. Playing with people that were better than me, such as Grace Brownell, Wura Ijelu and Shanice Turner would push me to develop. By attending University of Worcester, I knew that I’d be challenged daily due to the level of competition.

Also my course wasn’t offered in many places (Estella studied Sports and Exercise Psychology as an Undergraduate), so it made my choice a lot easier. The Basketball being so good and the fact that they offered my course was a win-win. Additionally I was intrigued by the study abroad programme. I wasn’t certain that I wanted to study abroad, however I liked that if I came to UW there would be an option for me to do so.

What was it about the study abroad programme that attracted you?

The reasoning behind it, actually stems from quite a while back. Growing up in the UK playing Basketball, there is almost an expectation that if you’re of a certain calibre, you go the the US. So it’s something that crossed my mind, but going to the US wasn’t for me. However I knew I wanted to go abroad. So I figured, if Basketball wont take me there, then maybe my studies will. Once I’m abroad studying, I’ll then find opportunities to play. In my first year I started to explore and ask questions in regards to how I could make it happen and had conversations with study board advisor at First Point. In my second year I started to take it more seriously, so arranged a meeting with my Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) to discuss options.

I was motivated by the fact that not a lot of sports students access this opportunity and not a lot of people that look like me (Estella is of mixed heritage). Typically, people from my background get places through sport and music, after that we’re not typically exposed to other ways we can see the world, meet new people and learn new cultures. I want to be an example of someone that did it through education.

When I started to attend meetings with other people that wanted to study abroad as well, none of them looked like me and in talking to them, it quickly became apparent we’re from different worlds. I’m from the inner city, I’d have conversations with some and they’d be talk about how they’re parents owned a farm, or that one time when they went on a family holiday to Bali for the whole summer. So I did it for my own satisfaction really and to inspire others – to help others realise there are opportunities out there, it doesn’t have to be sport that takes you there. There’s other ways to see the world and it is worth seeing, regardless of what your background is, or any cultural expectations of what you should achieve.

As we were still in the EU at the time, there are programmes facilitating this opportunity, so I had to act quick to take advantage of that.

So you settled on Amsterdam, what was your reasoning for choosing the world famous city.

Honestly, it wasn’t my first option. My number one criteria was to go somewhere warm. If it’s warm, I’m good. Next was to go somewhere where I could play basketball at a decent level. However that all changed when Amsterdam came up! I actually wanted to the University of Leon, Spain, but they didn’t offer a course in English that I was interested in. Amsterdam is so international as a city, a lot of people were pushing me to go and have a look at what they offered. I was really resisting initially.

You know when you hear Amsterdam, you hear everything that it’s associated with and I didn’t want to be involved in any of that. However I kept an open mind and looked into it. I got in contact with someone from University of Worcester that studied there and they sold it to me. Everything started to fall in to place. Everyone speaks English in Amsterdam and unfortunately I’m not multi-lingual. Another bonus was that Amsterdam is very diverse, which is important to me..

Was it all plain sailing, in regards to preparing to leave for Amsterdam?

There’s a lot to do before you go. University of Worcester were so helpful and supportive throughout the whole process. I’ve always understood the importance building good relationships, this was a time where I needed to utilise those skills. I’m very willing to ask for help if needed. So with the staff I was like, “help me with everything as I don’t know what I’m doing.” I was so stressed waiting to see if I got accepted on to the course in Amsterdam, I thought that when I got accepted the stress would be over … how wrong was I?

Once I got accepted on to the course, it was now time to find a place to live whilst I’m there. As Amsterdam is such a desirable place for tourists, accommodation is scarce. When looking for places to live, student’s don’t get any preferential treatment. You’re in the same queue as regular citizens. So that was really stressful time and you had to just wait and see if you got allocated accommodation. Luckily I did.

My parents came out with me when I moved. A whole induction was set up for us upon our arrival. When I arrived it was quite overwhelming. There’s a lot to do on that first day. You get taken to your accommodation, fill in forms, for insurance, citizenship, bank account etc. There was so much stuff! When I finally got taken to my accommodation, that’s when it felt real for me, like THIS IS IT. My parents stayed with me for a week, then I was on my own!!!

The first few weeks were amazing! They put on a lot of events for the international students, which helps you to settle in. As you realise you’re not alone. There were around 2000 international students. We got split into groups of 10-12 for our activities, for the week. I’m smiling cause it brings back so much good memories!! Each day we’d do something different for our induction. On day one we went to the zoo, the next day we had Dutch lessons and a tour of central Amsterdam.

It was amazing because you’ve got people from all over the world together in these groups, sharing this experience. We’re all here alone, but having this opportunity to connect with people instantly took the pressure off. Luckily for me I found two people that were doing the same course as me. The odds for that are so slim. Out of 2000 people, 2 other internationals were in my class. We were pretty much inseparable from that point and we’re still great friends to this day.

So playing Basketball here in the UK, I know it’s been a big part of your life. One of the drivers in your decision to study here at Worcester. How did you get involved in Basketball in Amsterdam?

I didn’t realise how unpopular Basketball was in Netherlands. I knew they have done well at international level, especially 3×3. In terms of leagues, competitions at amateur level there didn’t appear to be a lot of exposure. Information wasn’t easily accessible or easily sought. It was quite tough to begin with, as I didn’t understand the leagues. Finding a team took a long time. Information was so scarce. I actually gave up trying to understand it online and was hoping I’d figure it out once I got there. Luckily I found one through University and signed up. They suggested I attend a trial.

The trial went well. You could see they had their first team set already, but I managed to get on to the first team court, which was good. They seemed to like me, I played well that day. A French girl, who I’d met that day, we formed like this dynamic duo, we just clicked. In regards to Basketball, I didn’t have an expectation of where I was going to fit in, I just wanted to play. Before I left for Amsterdam, I’d had a rough time with Basketball, I didn’t feel I was reaching my potential. So going out to Amsterdam was good for me, so making it onto the first team court was good for me and my confidence. However I didn’t make the final selection for the first team. I made the second team, which was full of really nice people, who were all so welcoming. We just had a great time together, on and off the court

Me being selected to the second team, put me in a better position to enjoy my time in Amsterdam. The league was the equivalent of, say local league or WNBL 2. I seemed to play more freely and more creative there. The whole experience made me fall back in love with basketball. There was no expectation, our league was competitive but not as serious. One of my teammates, similar to myself in the way she played. We played really well together and seem to compliment each other. I found out that in the Netherlands their sporting experiences exist outside of education. So if you want to play sport you have to join clubs – so that’s what we did. When I told them about what it was like in English Universities and BUCS they found it fascinating.

It made me appreciate all we have available to us here, as students. At University level we have BUCS and obviously here (University of Worcester) we have so many opportunities. It made me very reflective of how privileged we are to be in a programme like this. People come to University of Worcester and think it’s the norm and it’s really not.

Tell us more about the experience of studying abroad and how has the experience impacted you?

I studied hard whilst there and completed my studies in two semesters as I wanted to complete an internship. In all honesty I felt like to get to where I want to get to in life, I need more. Whilst the studying is great, I wanted to experience something more hands-on. Going out there, I also wanted to study something completely random. Something I’ve always wanted to do but maybe never exposed to. I chose International Sports management as my course at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (Estella graduated in BSc Sports and Exercise Psychology from University of Worcester), which completely opened my eyes to see other dimensions of sport from an organisational level. This shifted the direction of my intended career path.

I’ve always been the player, but having this experience has made me realise 1) I’m more than just an athlete and 2) there so many transferrable skills from basketball to the working life. I knew these skills would help me professionally too. There’s also a lot of different roles within the sporting industry that I just wasn’t aware of, which isn’t really explained while your at University. As an example, I was studying Sports & Exercise Psychology, the goal or the only thing anyone talks about is becoming a Psychologist in sport. However by having this experience, I’ve realised I can apply, what I’ve learnt in Psychology modules in other areas, within sport. For me its the best thing I could have done, I’m so grateful that I switched to International Sports Management.

Coupled with that, the way studying is designed made a huge difference too. Here, whilst we have placements, there is less emphasis on placements/experience whilst your studying in some cases. The people I had met were also 3rd year students, however they were already on their 5th/6th internship as it’s a part of their study. To top it off, they’re encouraged to go abroad to complete their placements. For example, one person I met had an internship in Indonesia and another in Australia. So it really reinforced for me, that for where I want to get to, I need to do more. Being around people that are doing those things and making those connections, pushed me towards progressing my own experiences rather than relying on an educational system that seems so rigid at times. But yes, the studying is really cool. Whilst I was there, we went on a field trip to Alba Berlin ( German Pro team who compete in Bundersliga), we went to the Olympic stadium, visited Papendal (Olympic training centre/boarding school for school-age elite athletes across all sports), had a guest tlk with a cutting edge sports-tech expert who was trialling new technology with pro-football teams throughout Europe and did a couple other cool educational/touristy things. It was sick.

I spent the first two semesters studying really hard. Doing my best to complete my assignments within those first 2 semesters. I had my sights on using semester 3 for my internship. I was advised against this, but I had my heart set on it. So I went for it!

I actually found the way course was structured a lot easier so it allowed me to focus more. One of my lecturers was a former basketball player who was well connected. He would invite different guest speakers in each week. One week we had an NBA scout for South America speaking to us, the next week we had Netherlands Head Coach of the Women’s Basketball team. When I saw the Netherlands Head Coach, I took the opportunity to speak with him. I was asking him about the possibility of completing my internship with their organisation. I was extremely nervous in approaching him, as he’s the National team Head Coach. We exchanged contact details and emailed him the next day. When I received my reply, I was offered an interview at the Dutch federation.

When I attended the interview they thought I wanted to get experience from a coaching perspective, but I let them know it was more about the business and organisational experience. I spent the next few months making connections with UK universities working to provide players with opportunities to study abroad, other than the US. I wasn’t able to complete my time there as the pandemic hit and I had to come home ,so my internship was completed remotely

Now Estella is back in the UK, she’s eager to put all she has learnt to good use. Estella is playing with the Worcester Wolves whilst completing an MSc in Sports Management. By her own admission this is not something she would have done, had she not have gone to Amsterdam. “With everything I’ve learnt, I’m so excited to study, I cant want to get started. The experience has put me in a position where I can go in to my masters feeling more confident, than I would have. I want to work with Student Athletes in a University setting, I’ve gained a lot of transferrable skills that I feel I can develop.

For information on Study Abroad opportunities available at University of Worcester, please click here