Alumna Lydia Newell (2012-22) recently shared with us an update on her fast paced life as a Marketing student at the University of Northumbria. As part of her degree, Lydia had to source a year in industry placement and this led her to her dreams becoming reality!

This time last year, I was deep in the hunt for a placement opportunity, determined to move to London and live what everyone calls the typical ‘London life.’ Fast forward to today, and it’s safe to say things have taken a bit of a turn. After multiple interviews, including an intense in-person interview day that felt straight out of The Apprentice (cue the “You’re FIRED!”), I was fortunate enough to land two amazing opportunities: one with a mega, well-established recruitment firm in London, and the other with a fast-growing marketing agency in Manchester.

You can probably guess which one I chose… but nope, I went with Manchester! And honestly, I’m so glad I did. Looking back, I can confidently say that both taking the placement and moving to Manchester are two of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and have led me to so many other opportunities.

Whilst on her placement Lydia also became a brand ambassador for retail giant Pretty Little Thing. With Lydia’s passion for marketing and her love of fashion this was the result of several internships and lots of hard work.

One of my biggest achievements? Is being selected to be a PrettyLittleThing Student Ambassador!!! For anyone who knows me, this was literally a dream come true - PrettyLittleThing has always been a company I’ve admired, and the possibility of working with them one day is something I’ve always hoped for.

It honestly felt surreal receiving the email confirming my position, I couldn’t believe it. With an ever-growing passion for marketing (especially social media marketing), after completing two internships in London and Newcastle prior to my placement, this opportunity felt like everything I had been working towards. Content creation and collaborating with big brands on social media was always the goal, and I was finally getting my chance.

When I first moved to Manchester, I started sharing my daily work outfits, day-in-the-life videos, and other engaging content, all with the goal of building my personal brand and getting my name known. Through consistency and genuine passion, posting consistently and showing what I was capable of all helped garner my position PrettyLittleThing Ambassador role. I applied for the opportunity which required you to share links to your social platforms, and it was clear that all the effort I’d been putting into my content helped me stand out among other applicants.

As an ambassador, I get to pick out clothes I love from their collection, create content for Instagram or TikTok, and share my experiences with my followers. One of the most surprising elements of this role has been the sense of community among the other ambassadors. Everyone is so supportive, helping each other boost engagement and collaborate whenever possible. I get exclusive discounts and invitations to influencer events at PrettyLittleThing's headquarters, which is a dream in itself!

This is just the beginning of my content creation journey, and I’m beyond excited to see where it takes me. I’ve learned that with hard work, consistency, and a lot of passion, you are capable of anything you want to do.

Lydia posts her content on her social media and has a growing following. We wish her continued success with her role as an ambassador and her continuing degree!