Helen Hunt

“For me the sense of community was the key. I felt that the facilities helped me with get to know all my course mates and lecturers really quickly.”

I am very passionate about developing the next generation of athletes. Since graduating my journey has taken me from an English-speaking country to a small Russian-speaking town with a lot of new volleyball enthusiasts in Estonia.

I chose Essex as it is a very exciting place to live and study. I always wanted to go to university in England and after meeting the staff and seeing the state-of-the-art facilities I felt like this was the perfect place for me.

My course helped me develop my skill set and has helped shape me as a coach. I enjoyed a variety of modules, but the biomechanics module really stands out in my mind. As a competitive person, turning the problem-solving elements into a race against my peers made the lecture very enjoyable and memorable.

Being a coach was a career I always saw myself working in and without my degree, I wouldn't be doing it today. All the practical sessions at Essex helped me in how I conduct my coaching sessions and being a Higher Education Volleyball Officer (HEVO) with the sports centre helped me see the daily life of a coach.

A typical day for me usually starts at 3pm and then it’s three back-to-back sessions with 11–18-year-olds. My favourite element is seeing someone master a skill and the joy that comes out of it makes every day a little more special. My next step is to volunteer with some bigger clubs both in Estonia and beyond and see where that takes me.