Northumbria International Summer School in the UK

The Management, Science, and Coaching of the Great North Run module were very beneficial as I developed an awareness and importance of what intercultural skills are by meeting international students who were not familiar with the United Kingdom.

I have learned that communicating effectively with international students to ensure they understand why and when they have a task to do is mandatory to provide a reliable and trustworthy relationship with them, and by inviting and acknowledging any feedback the students may have. Excellent communication also builds and contributes to an efficient and honest workplace and an academic culture encouraging two-way discussions by information being shared at all levels.

I learned how to develop and sustain effective working relationships with colleagues, management, and staff and I am always willing to consider other points of view showing acceptance of other timescales, priorities, and workloads by agreeing with other work colleagues to do specific tasks at times, and roles.

For week one: Inductions to the Module overview, library induction and enrolment, a campus tour and a welcome evening.
Science week: Lab Induction: physiology of running a marathon, minimizing injury risk. A day visit to Durham. Laboratory testing: VO2 Lactate testing, fuelling the body for the Great North Run, independent study sessions to organize presentations, research material for writing essays, revising for an online physiology examination.
Week 2: A trip was organized to visit Northumberland, Bamburgh Castle, Sea houses, Alnwick Castle.
Coaching week: the roles and responsibility of the coach, planning for the Great North Run. Visit Tynemouth (The coast), the coach-athlete relationship, psychological preparation, assessment: video analysis of coaching behavior.
Group dinner, a trip to visit Beamish, Beamish open-air life museums, Angel of the North.
Week 3: Management week - introduction to strategic management, field trip: Durham County Cricket Club and Media Centre, planning for a major sporting event - operational considerations, evaluating strategic outcomes of the Great North Run, assessment presentations on a chosen topic. Farewell lunch and closing remark, traditional afternoon tea at the Vermont Hotel.

What is your favorite travel memory?

Getting completely lost with a bunch of strangers and 'locals' over Christmas in Whistler, where we had rode our snowboards to a back-country area of the mountain. We had taken a wrong turn and missed the route home.

With daylight fading and temperatures freezing we spent 3 hours, navigating down cliffs and through trees to get home. Sharing the moment with people I'd only met that day, as scary as it was in the conditions, was an unforgettable moment.

It is a testament to the warmth of the traveling community and what strangers can do together when faced with adversity. We still Skype about it to this day!

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

Northumbria International Summer School, of course! We feel that we have designed a really strong program this year.

Our region, city, and university really do sell themselves, and when students arrive here, they don't want to leave!

We're also offering modules that cover a wide range of interests. Our Newcastle Business School is AACSB accredited and the chance to study corporate social responsibility; such a key topic in today's world, from leading, acknowledged academics in that field is excellent!

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

We recently hosted our first ever International Staff Training Week, with colleagues from around Europe joining us to learn about process enhancement, and to showcase Northumbria University.

It was so rewarding to see the time which the team had put into designing the program be rewarded by so many comments of praise upon leaving! The team did a great job! We're already receiving enquiries for next year before we have even designed the program, which speaks volumes about what we achieved.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

You have to be passionate about what you are doing. Working with like-minded individuals who drive and challenge you everyday! Northumbria priorities 'The Student Experience', striving to ensure those who study with us have an experience that is unmatched.

With that comes skills I honed in hospitality, treating students and colleagues as valued human beings and not just people in a transaction. This gives a sense of trust, belonging, and family, which as a member of Northumbria Alumni, I am a part of!