Natalie

About Me

Hi! My name is Natalie, and I am an undergraduate student at York St John University.
I am originally from Manchester, where I live with my parents, younger sister and two small but very loud dogs!
Now, I live with my two counselling coursemates in York.
I absolutely adore being in York! I particularly enjoy all the old bookshops. In my free time, I enjoy reading and writing; I have a particular interest in poetry. Alongside this, I take great enjoyment in arts and crafts such as painting and scrapbooking all my memories. At university, I am studying Counselling and Mental Health, which has helped me develop deep listening skills and maintain empathy and patience in tense situations. Part of this course has been a placement in a local primary school, where I have discovered a passion for childcare and education. On a personal level, it has been so wonderful to observe the children's growth in confidence in both their reading ability and themselves. I have a particular enjoyment in helping dyslexic pupils achieve things they thought were impossible by showing them new strategies that they can use. I am dyslexic myself and had a hard time at school and with reading for a very long time, and now it is one of my greatest passions, so I hope to inspire that for others as well.
Outside of university, I am currently working as a Bridal Stylist. I am part of a very small team and have often been the overseer of operations in the store, which has helped me develop strong organisational skills, including time management, planning, and scheduling. I am also an active member of my church and of my university's Christian union, serving on its committee. Having both an active personal faith and a broad interest in different religions and cultures led me to take my first-year placement at my university's chaplaincy. This helped teach me cross-cultural and intrafaith communication, including a passion for languages. I hold a SEG certificate in Japanese!
I am truly passionate about learning and looking forward to taking on new challenges in this next chapter of my career.