Shannon Fleming from Yorkshire is now in the third year of her BA (Hons) Dance and Drama degree, and her CV is getting more extensive with each passing year – from teaching dance and participating in student films to appearing as a TV extra and authoring a psychological thriller.
With ambitions to be an actor on stage or screen, her love of creative arts has taken her in many directions. She’s president of the University’s drama society, The Core, and gets involved in many productions, including directing.
Shannon also supports performing arts dissertations on mental health and self-acceptance and has been collaborating with Lancashire Police on adverts warning of domestic abuse and drink spiking.
And if all this doesn’t keep her busy enough, she’s been leading dance classes for young people and acts as a guide for prospective Edge Hill students.
For Shannon, the scholarship is validation for taking and excelling in non-traditional subjects:
“Being able to place it on a CV is extremely helpful for the future, but, importantly, it also tells performing arts students that their work is equally valid to the University.
“It’s easy to question your work and achievements – are they worth anything or noticed? Applying for the scholarship was a bigger thing than I originally thought it would be. Being selected shows those doubts weren’t worth bringing me down.”
And Shannon is full of praise for her course at Edge Hill:
“There are many opportunities that pop up based around the course, such as being able to apply to be an extra in professional films, or a dance teacher and talking at secondary school open days on behalf of Edge Hill, encouraging young people to apply for university. It’s really educated me, too.
“Having termly one-on-one meetings with personal tutors is helpful; it feels like authentic care. They’re always helpful with knowing what I need to do to reach the next grade and ensuring I’m doing well. The careers desk is extremely helpful too.”
And there is one stand-out highlight during her time at Edge Hill so far:
“The thing I’m proudest of is becoming president of The Core. Being elected meant people believed I could do it. I never dreamed of even joining a committee in my first year. It’s a big honour, and a responsibility that I’ve enjoyed and will continue to love.”
Excellence Scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate determination, commitment and achievement outside their studies. We have a broad programme of scholarships for prospective and current students, recognising practical and academic excellence.
Edge Hill University offers dance, drama and musical theatre degrees. They sit within the Department of English and Creative Arts, which runs a broad range of courses from music production to creative writing.
November 15, 2023
