A STUDENT at Franklin College has overcome extreme shyness to win a prestigious award.
Sarah Hopper, 18, of Pennistone Place, Scartho, was once so shy she "broke down" when she was forced to talk to people in formal situations – especially during interviews.
Now, after taking part in the Career Academy Programme, she is the Yorkshire, Humber and North East winner of the Winfried Bischoff Award – with a £250 prize – for showing such impressive progress.
She said: "The award was unexpected and while I'm really happy and shocked to have won it, the real reward is the confidence I have gained from taking part."
Sarah, who studies business and accounts and maths at A-level, said she was once so shy, she used to sit alone at lunchtime and stuttered giving class presentations.
But after joining the Franklin Business Career Academy – designed to bridge the gap between students and employers – she has overcome the crippling shyness she has suffered with her entire life.
Sarah has completed a three-week placement with Kaplan, an accountancy training firm, and a week in Franklin's accounts department, learning about the industry in which she hopes to work.
Her business mentor Leslie Morrison has given her regular challenges and coached her through some of her issues with interviews.
Now, she has an interview with Forrester Boyd accountancy firm and has also been offered a place at the University Of York to study business management and accounts.
Sarah added: "I wasn't sure if accountancy was what I wanted to do, but working in the industry has given me real direction.
"My business mentor was a huge help to me and I have a really solid group of friends now."
The Career Academy UK provides internships and workshops that local colleges introduce. Franklin's is the largest in the country, offering courses based on health, law, business and science and engineering.
Clive Wilson, associate principal, who leads the business career academy, said: "We hope for great things for her in the future."
