be_ixf;ym_202312 d_01; ct_50

Brandon’s story

Brandon, 21, joined City Year UK for his university placement. 

Find out how a year of volunteering helped him.

“At the start of City Year I was very shy and timid, I was very anxious about the year ahead and had not planned much for my life after university.  Over the year, I became more willing to step out of my comfort zone, taking on roles and challenges that I would not have done before.  I’ve become more confident in my public speaking, more willing to speak in front of bigger audiences. And I am a lot more organised! I plan everything a lot more thoroughly and in advance. 

“During the year, I faced many personal challenges – with the stress of preparing my dissertation for my final year at university – but I had a strong relationship with my impact officer, who I spoke to about my personal aspirations and he told me about his career journey. He inspired me. After university I am looking into a master’s degree in Sweden and I am learning Swedish. Our personal development training gave me even more motivation to push for my dream. We had external speakers come in and hold a ‘learning from leaders’ talk where I found out many of them had lived abroad, and their words have given me extra encouragement. Towards the end of the year we also had an interview skills day where  we had a mock interview with an external partner which I know will be extremely beneficial when my time comes to look for a full time job.”

Related stories

Nazia is a City Year Mentor, serving on Team Moccasins in London, 2022-2023. I am a university student on a...

Read more about "I had no idea how much I could change in a single year."

Marina is a City Year Mentor, serving on Team Power in London, 2022-2023.  City Year changed me radically for the...

Read more about "Being a City Year Mentor has helped me to become a better version of me."

Mushtaq proudly served as a City Year Mentor in London, 2022-23.  “It has been a stimulating responsibility to serve as...

Read more about "Being a City Year Mentor also means having a voice that matters."

Back to Impact report 2021-2022 City Year UK is delighted to be partnering with the Danaher Foundation, with the organisation’s...

Read more about Partnering with the Danaher Foundation
National Strategic Partners
  • Bank of America logo
  • The Vertex Foundation Logo
  • DHL UK Foundation Logo
  • National Grid Logo
National Partners
  • CVC Logo