When Rachel attended a UK Summer School in 2009, she was the first in her family to experience university life. Read on below to find out what she gained from the experience, and how this has led her on her current path in the business and consulting world.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what led you to apply for the Sutton Trust programme?

“I was the first person in my family to attend university and leading to the decision of applying, it was unclear what the different options were available to me i.e. courses, universities, programmes. The Sutton Trust gave me the opportunity to see what university would be like and to help me think about the options available. I subsequently applied for the University of Hertfordshire and was awarded the Chancellors scholarship for entrepreneurship after submitting a paper with an innovative idea.”

What was the highlight of your Sutton Trust programme?

“The week on campus forming a bond with a small group of people. The group came together from places across the UK and we quickly bonded over the subject we came to study for the week, as well as evening games of cards and sunny summer walks through the city of Cambridge. The experience was incredible – including the finale dinner in the halls!”

What skills did you gain from taking part in the programme?

“Independence, social skills and a broadened perspective. It gave me a taste of a challenging course and what it would be like to study in a university setting, which helped me to think about where I would apply to and what I would ultimately study.”

What are you doing now and what are your plans for the future?

“I’m currently a Manager in a Digital Consultancy, helping organisations to solve challenges and prepare for the future with their supply chain and fulfilment technology. My plans for the future are to become a director within a FTSE 100 company.”

What would you tell someone who was unsure about applying for a Sutton Trust programme?

“Do it – you have nothing to lose. It will likely be one of the best weeks of your summer and set the foundation to your future decisions.”

What does a typical day look like for your in your role?

“Typically I’m working on a project with a client for a fixed duration; anything from 6 weeks to 12 months. My day to day is very varied, but I’m mostly speaking with lots of different people in different functions in the client’s organisation to understand their challenges and what help they need to solve it and achieve their goals. I travel to our offices in London or other cities to meet with the client, and work from home from time-to-time.”

What’s the best thing about your current role?

“I get to work on lots of different challenges, meet lots talented people and sometimes travel to exciting places. I have had the pleasure of travelling to cities such as Copenhagen, Chicago, Boston and Amsterdam and working with toys, food and building supplies!”

Could you tell us about your career journey to date?

“I started my career during my University studies as I took a sandwich degree, which required an internship in my 3rd year. I highly recommend getting this early experience to help inform your thinking on the path you want to take. I secured an internship with Ocado in operations and was offered a place on the graduate scheme upon completion of my studies. I spent several years learning the ropes, being hands-on, understanding process, people and technology. Following my time at Ocado, I worked Internationally with HelloFresh, which was a fantastic personal and professional experience. I began working in Consulting 5 years ago, using my learnings from my roles at Ocado and HelloFresh to help clients solve challenges in their operational and fulfilment technology.”

What was your first step in your career (internship/work experience / first job) and how did you secure it?

“The internship at Ocado Group in operations. I approached Ocado who didn’t offer operational internships, but I was interested in operations and automated set-up – one of the first in the industry, looked to be exactly the place to get first-hand experience. There was a round of interviews to qualify and the role was the start of my journey in operations, which I loved from day 1.”

Did you face any barriers in accessing your career – and how did you overcome these?

“Inspiration and counsel outside of my immediate family on the different options available to begin my career. This was not very clear to me and speaking with teachers and participating in the Sutton Trust summer school really helped to clarify what I wanted to do.”

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