My summer experience - Liz Lewis, Class of 2026
Whilst Team Entrepreneurs have a break from their studies and assignments over the summer, Liz packed her summer with work shadowing, volunteering and continuing to develop her business knowledge and understanding through practical ventures. Here, she reflects on the summer, what she did and what she learnt.
My plan over the summer focused on finding opportunities that matched my interests in sports media, coaching and entrepreneurship.
I arranged to shadow the Director of BBC Sport during the recording of The Feast of Football after hearing about the chance through a family contact. I wanted to understand how professional sports media works, and during the session I observed the technical setup, interview techniques and the communication required behind the scenes. The experience taught me a lot about preparation, professionalism and how to engage an audience. Following this opportunity, I am reaching out to people such as athletes and business people to interview them myself and applying for work experience with BBC Sport, local radio stations and sports clubs.
Alongside this, I volunteered at my local tennis club, supporting their summer camps. Coaching children aged 3-12 helped me develop leadership, patience and the ability to adapt activities for different ages and skill levels. Following this experience, I have started coaching children’s tennis at my local gym.
Finally, I started my own Vinted and Depop shops because I wanted to gain business experience and earn money independently. I learned how to photograph items, write listings, communicate with buyers and manage orders, and I earnt around £600 over the summer break.
All of these experiences strengthened my skills in communication, leadership and organisation, and my next steps are to pursue more sports media opportunities, continue coaching and keep growing my online shop.