Class of 2004
BSc Hons Sport & Exercise Science
JOB:
Head of Group Governance, Risk, & Compliance: Family Fund
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN THIS PHOTO AS YOUR YSJ SNAPSHOT?
I don’t actually have any photos of me during my student days, save the formal graduation one, and usually value group ones over ones of myself.
This one at least blends the idea of physical activity (linked to my degree) with the idea of raising money for charity through challenges (linked to my current work).
WHAT ARE YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES OF YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY?
Part of my neurodivergence is a weird selective memory that doesn’t actually retain much from large periods of when I was undiagnosed.
I do remember joining the rounders team, on what I was told was their inaugural year, and enjoying the time with that group.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES?
My family had just moved from Essex to Cumbria and I needed a location which would act as a first stop on the way back down, which York suited fantastically.
I hadn’t achieved what I should have on my A-Levels (a symptom of undiagnosed autism and lifelong depression) so the system of completing an HND at York College then moving across to St Johns for 3rd year was a lifeline.
I loved St Johns and York so much that I just stayed.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE COMPLETING YOUR STUDIES?
Having not succeeded in my exams due to multiple undiagnosed conditions making me not the best student, I drifted for a bit but was still successful. I have been a paralegal in the social housing department of one law firm and won court cases in the recoveries department of another. I have worked for the government, and worked in teams who have won awards for both social landlords and national charities.
My success in all these roles has been underpinned by the analytical mindset and dedication to data-driven decision-making that was instilled in my course.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR SPECIFIC COURSE?
I hadn’t found a passion or a career path at that point, I didn’t until my 30s, so just took a subject I liked and dealt with empirical data in a way I was competent at.
WHAT WERE THE BEST FEATURES OF YOUR COURSE?
Sport & Exercise Science is really undervalued for its worth as an applied sciences course. Based on testing and the interrogation of data, the discovery and analysis mindsets in creates are useful in a wide variety of fields. It sounds strange, but the course made me better at the legal aspects of my work.
WHAT ONE PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A CURRENT STUDENT, OR ONE ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
Know that the path your life will follow will sometimes be bumpy, and will rarely be the one you planned. That’s ok though: you will still succeed and find your place.
https://www.familyfund.org.uk/news/neurodiversity-celebration-week-2025/
Read more: Chris Rulton – Head of Group Governance, Risk & ComplianceIn School of Science Technology and Health, York Business School