Evie opts to stay on at College due to quality of teaching - and ends up with First Class honours degree!
Media Make-up student Evie Cullen decided to stay on at York College to study a degree due to the quality of teaching – and it paid off when she graduated with First Class honours and a host of industry contacts.
Evie first arrived on Campus at the age of 16 as a Level 2 student but left as the winner of our prestigious Principal’s Award at September’s Graduation Ceremony in the spectacular setting of York Minster.
That accolade was in recognition of her five-year journey and achievements on our York School of Art BA (Hons) Media Make-up, Special Effects and Hair Design course.
Reflecting on that pivotal period in her life, Evie said: “I hadn’t thought about staying on to do my Higher Education in my first year but, when I was doing my Level 3 in the second year, it was explained to me by my tutor that I could do a degree here, which really appealed to me, because I could stay at home with my parents.
“The tutors played a big part in me wanting to stay at College, too. Everybody got on so well with them.
“We had the kind of relationships where you could talk to them about the course, but also life in general and, being taught by people who have experience in the industry at places you aspire to work at, is amazing. They have so many contacts.
“Our group was also small, which meant the tutors had more time to get around everyone and discuss ideas.”
Evie went on to admit that witnessing York College Media Make-up alumni Nadia Stacey, Freda Ellis and Lisa Parkinson respectively scoop Oscar, Emmy and BAFTA awards during her final year of studies provided definitive confirmation – not that she ever had any doubt – that our University Centre was the best place to hone her skills.
“Seeing people last year, from the course, winning Oscars, Emmys and BAFTAs honestly gives you a realisation that it’s actually possible,” she pointed out. “It’s an industry where you get a lot of push back and a bit of negativity, with people saying it’s very competitive and really hard to get into so, seeing people who have been on the exact same course and same place with the same tutors, is a massive confidence boost.”
Before she looks to make her own first steps into the profession with a move from Scarborough to Manchester where she has acquired contacts and hopes to secure work in the film industry or a prosthetics workshop, Evie is currently spending six months backpacking in South-East Asia.
She admits, too, however that she is already missing Campus life at Sim Balk Lane, laughing: “I’ll miss the people more than anything. I’ve already got FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) because I know some of my friends are still there and I’m gutted that I’m not.
“Being in the workshops was just so much fun. There was never a day that we didn’t have smiles on our faces.”
Evie added that she also derives great enjoyment from turning something that she always loved doing in her teens as a hobby into a career pathway.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do education wise when I was 16, but I used to enjoy playing around with make-up in my bedroom and, when I found that I could do something like that as a job, I thought I would give it a try,” she explained. “Covid hit during my first year at College, but I actually used that time to practice more on my own face in my bedroom and it improved my skill levels because I could do it every single day.”
Describing her best work as the latex goat mask and silicone baby heads she produced for her final examined pieces on the degree course, Evie went on to express her delight at being recognised for her College achievements in one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals.
“I’d never been into York Minster before, so I thought it might be a bit daunting, but it was an amazing experience and words can’t even describe how it felt to win the award,” she enthused. “I had no idea that would happen, but it felt so good to be recognised for what I have done and was a big confidence boost as well.”
To learn more about our BA (Hons) Media Make-up, Special Effects and Hair Design course, please click here
For details of all our York School of Art courses, please visit here
A guide to the full range of our University Centre courses can be found here
Our next Open Event on Monday 10th February (5.30pm-8pm) will also offer an opportunity to find out more about our full course offering and a chance to meet tutors. You can register a place here
