Class of 2024: Nicole Bowden

Nicole Bowden’s journey at Essex won’t be ending quite how she imagined it would when she attended her first law lecture three years ago.

Nicole opted to study LLB Law because she felt it was the “safe option” and would help her secure employment after graduating.

But despite enjoying the course, she couldn’t help shake a feeling that her passion lay in the creative arts.

And it was thanks to attending a workshop run by an Essex alumni who themselves had transitioned from law to the creative arts, that Nicole’s long supressed, artistic voice was awoken.

“I was drawn to the Law to Acting Workshop because it was something I had thought was more or less impossible for me,” she said.

“For a very long time I didn't really view theatre and acting as an option for me anymore because of the course I chose and discussions with my family, but I just thought that it wouldn't do me any harm to check it out.

“After the workshop I felt a lot more hopeful about having a future that I really envisioned for myself, I realised that a career in the arts is worth the hardships and more than possible for me.”

Such has been the turnaround in Nicole’s thinking, she has successfully applied to study a Masters in Creative Producing at the prestigious Mountview Academy.

She credits her friends for driving her on to change her career plans, adding: “I honestly think my friends are the reason I decided to pursue what I really wanted, they all have such unwavering belief in me, it made me believe in myself a bit more.”

Nicole will always look back fondly on her time at Essex, where she has also been an integral part of the Rhythm Society, supporting aspiring performers and helping them to build their confidence in front of live audiences.

She added: “The most memorable thing from my university experience at Essex is the huge array of people I have met, I think coming to this university really gave me an avenue to interact with people from different countries and has expanded my outlook in so many aspects of my life.

“Essex is like a big community, everyone knows everyone. I have made some of the best friends I have ever had that I know will be in my life for a very long time.”