Successfully balancing study and a parallel career as a world champion Irish dancer required me to implement management, organisational and motivational strategies. These strategies have enabled me to achieve the highest level in both and have allowed me to observe how they prove essential in business. Participating in the industry of dance, combined with gaining a foundation in Business Studies, has shown I have the aptitude and ambition to succeed at undergraduate level. My formative years in Silicon Valley fostered an entrepreneurial spirit that, when combined with AS-level study, created a desire to utilise this spirit in my future career, through running my own business or creating a unique product or service. Studying business at A-Level has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of business, enabling me to think entrepreneurially and to anchor this in an understanding of planning, accounting, finance and strategic thinking. Attending a French school not only ensured that I became fluent in the language but also made me passionate about the other cultures I have been lucky to experience. I continued learning French in the UK, aware of the impact a facility for languages could have on my career within a globalised economy.

From the age of 7, I have dedicated 20 hours a week to Irish dance. Through perseverance, dedication and hard work I have won over 30 national titles in various countries and remain undefeated in international competition over the past five years. Aside from the mental and physical training that I have undertaken to achieve this success, my involvement within the Irish dancing community has demonstrated the impact business and commerce have, even within a field based around creative expression. I have taken part in a range of fundraising and promotional projects; such as the organisation and marketing of large scale dance events and performing at numerous civic and private functions, including performing for the Mayor of Birmingham and opening the annual parade.

These offered first hand experience of the central place that businesses practices, such as marketing and promotion, hold in sustaining creative projects and the teamwork and organisation required to make a large scale operation, such as a feature film, a success. My life in Irish dance has been full of equally exciting opportunities, such as moving to the UK to attend the best dance school. While this move was viewed as pioneering within the Irish dance community, it is this sort of bold, ambitious measure that both creates champions and drives entrepreneurial activity. Having proven myself to be dedicated and single-minded in pursuit of my goals within, I am now keen to apply the same attitude to achieving my goals within business.

Steeped in the business of dance for many years, I am fascinated by the fact that, in times of economic hardship, the arts can often flourish by addressing people’s psychological needs. I have explored the relationship between psychology and business, through A-level study, and through reading related books, such as Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, and am keen to learn about how this can be applied within business.

It is my own psychological edge that has allowed me to become a success within Irish dance and that will prove to be my greatest asset throughout undergraduate study. Having also observed and participated in various aspects of business throughout my life, I am now fully prepared to apply this level of focus to achieving my ambitions within the field, just as I have achieved my ambitions in dance.

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