She said: “School was never for me, but the College allowed me to invest in my passion and commit myself to doing what I love. The experience and boost to my confidence has been immeasurable.”
Following her GCSEs, Sophie enrolled to do a Level 2 qualification at the College in 2016 and immediately caught the eye of her teachers. Successful completion of the Level 2 Diploma allowed her to progress to Level 3, a vocational course the equivalent of A levels.
Sophie has long held a love of performing arts. As a child she did Irish dancing and as a teenager, moved on to Street and Hip Hop styles, both teaching herself and attending classes.
Her involvement in youth dance projects provided an opportunity perform on the main stage in Disneyland in California as part of the Dance Excellence program.
“It was an unforgettable experience,” Sophie said. “We spent a week in California, undertaking Masterclasses from choreographers in every type of dance. We performed on stage at Disneyland and were part of the Disneyland parade, which was an absolutely surreal experience.”
As part of her Level 3 qualification, Sophie performed in the College’s production of Blood Wedding in May at the Theatre at the Mill in Newtownabbey. This experience, she said, allowed her to grow as a performer.
Remarkable experiences like these have helped stoke Sophie’s passion for the performing arts and make her even more determined to pursue her dreams.
Sophie continued: “I’ve always had passion for dance, as well as a love for drama and music. When I studied Performing Arts at GCSE, I realised there was just no way I could ever study anything else.
“When I found out that I could do Performing Arts at Northern Regional College, I was over the moon and jumped at the chance to pursue my passion at the College.”
As she gets ready for university and the start of a new chapter, Sophie reflected: “My experiences at the College have made me realise you have to work hard to get where you want to go, but it will pay off. The support and guidance I got here has been fantastic. My teachers inspired me to push myself and gave me the tools to do so.”
Gemma McGranaghan, Course Coordinator for Performing Arts at Northern Regional College, and one of Sophie’s lecturers, said: "Sophie was an excellent student and stood out from the moment she set foot in through the doors of the College. She was always friendly and outgoing, working hard to get the best out of all she endeavoured to do.”
Gemma added: “We are all very proud of Sophie and what she has achieved in her time with us and have no doubt that she will have a very successful career ahead of her."
Sophie is excited to embark on this new adventure, and is sure that the experience she has gained at the College has given her the confidence to take this next step in her stride:
“There is so much talent out there, but all of the experience I’ve gained over my time here has made me realise I can match it. That alone is so valuable to someone in my position.”