Grace Louisy - University of Birmingham

My name is Grace and I graduated from Birmingham with a BA International Relations. I now work as the Managing Director of Headbox which is an event technology company.

Meet Grace - Managing Director of Headbox

Transcript

0:01 Hi, I'm Grace Louisy.

0:03 I studied International Relations with a year abroad

0:06 here at the University of Birmingham.

0:09 I am Managing Director at HeadBox.

0:12 HeadBox is an event technology company.

0:14 We are essentially an award-winning meeting and events platform, with a mission

0:20 of bringing people and spaces together to make brilliant things happen everywhere.

0:24 I loved Birmingham, I loved everything about it.

0:27 I had the best time and personally,

0:3 1I'm still best friends with the people that I met on the very first day.

0:35 So it totally enriched my life. One of my biggest passions

0:38 is getting as many people into events as possible.

0:41 So you could be behind the scenes

0:42 planning the operations or the logistics of an event.

0:45 You could be on the creative side of production, filming, AV

0:49 making people feel something, whether that's feeling

0:52 part of the community or feeling inspired, then events is for you.

0:57 My advice to

0:58 current students would be to try everything.

1:02 Try, fail, try again, make more mistakes.

1:07 University is a time, I think, for learning,

1:10 for exploration, trying things out.

1:12 If it doesn't work, try something else. See what you like.

1:15 See what you're passionate about.

1:17 See what gets you up in the morning.

1:19 See what you find interesting and really make the most of everyone around you.

1:23 There's some brilliant leaders, some brilliant thinkers.

1:27 Your peers will go on to do amazing things.

1:29 So just take every opportunity that comes your way.

1:32 My degree in International Relations, it was so varied, which is why I chose it.

1:36 It was all about studying

1:38 political systems, political structures, leaders, history,

1:42 how countries negotiate with each other, how we view the world today.

1:47 That gave me loads of experience that I now apply in my day job.

1:52 My biggest achievement was

1:54 probably just learning who I was, learning what I liked,

1:59 learning what I was passionate about, and to solidify my sense of self.

2:04 I'd say that was probably my achievement.

2:07 I would wholeheartedly recommend studying at the University of Birmingham.

2:11 The level of teaching, the level of support that you get

2:17 from all of the tutors.

2:19 The level of conversation in the seminars. You are mixing with

2:24 some of the brightest people in the UK and you're really fortunate to do so.

2:29 I felt so lucky to know so many intelligent, wise,

2:33 creative, fun, inspiring people.

2:37 And it really is the heart of a lot of different industries here.

2:41 Everything about the university, I would say, just gives

2:44 you such a well-rounded, diverse, inspirational

2:49 experience that I don't feel like you can get anywhere else.

2:52 I really can't recommend it more highly.

My Journey to Headbox

Hi, I'm Grace Louisy. I am Managing Director at HeadBox. HeadBox is an event technology company. We are essentially an award-winning meeting and events platform, with a mission of bringing people and spaces together to make brilliant things happen everywhere.

One of my biggest passions is getting as many people into events as possible. You could be behind the scenes planning the operations or the logistics of an event. You could be on the creative side of production, filming, AV, making people feel something, whether that's feeling part of the community or feeling inspired. If that excites you, then events is for you.

How studying at Birmingham prepared me for my career

My degree in International Relations was so varied, which is why I chose it. It was all about studying political systems, political structures, leaders, history, how countries negotiate with each other, and how we view the world today. That gave me loads of experience that I now apply in my day job.

My biggest achievement at university was probably just learning who I was, what I liked, what I was passionate about, and solidifying my sense of self.

Why did I study at Birmingham?

I studied International Relations with a year abroad at the University of Birmingham. I loved Birmingham, I loved everything about it. I had the best time, and personally, I'm still best friends with the people I met on the very first day. It totally enriched my life.

I would wholeheartedly recommend studying at the University of Birmingham. The level of teaching and support from tutors is incredible. The level of conversation in the seminars is inspiring because you are mixing with some of the brightest people in the UK.

I felt so lucky to know so many intelligent, wise, creative, fun, and inspiring people. The university is at the heart of many different industries, and everything about it gives you such a well-rounded, diverse, and inspirational experience that I don’t think you can get anywhere else. I really can't recommend it more highly.

My advice for current students

My advice to current students would be to try everything. Try, fail, try again, and make more mistakes. University is a time for learning, exploration, and trying things out. If something doesn’t work, try something else. See what you like. See what you’re passionate about. See what gets you up in the morning.

Make the most of everyone around you. There are brilliant leaders and brilliant thinkers. Your peers will go on to do amazing things. So, take every opportunity that comes your way.