'Whenever my path crosses with another Riseholme student, there’s a kind of kinship’

Here, we chat with alumni Julie Priestley, Managing Director of DBS Digital.

When were you a student at Riseholme College, and what made you decide to join at the time?

I was at Riseholme College from October 1993 until June 1995. I did a GNVQ Advanced Level in Business after leaving Cherry Willingham Comprehensive when I was 16.

Growing up on my parents’ farm, I loved to help my mum balance the accounts. Back then, it was very different to the computerised systems we have today.

Whilst I lived at Nettleham, I chose to live on campus for the two years I was at Riseholme. I was fortunate to get a grant to support that. It helped build my independence and maturity faster than if I’d gone to sixth form.

Our course had every Wednesday off, and the afternoons were when the rugby team would play. This was always a popular thing at both Riseholme and what was then its sister college at Caythorpe – often with a bit of friendly rivalry between the two colleges!

Describe what life was like then as a student at the college.

Our classroom was upstairs in the room of the beautiful Riseholme Hall, overlooking the lake. A couple of our lectures involved being out and about on the farm.

I’d chosen to focus on agriculture instead of tourism. These lectures could include weed identification tests, herding cows or classroom-based learning in the stable yard.

It was a fantastic setting to learn and live. I look back on my years at Riseholme with very fond memories. Being a Riseholme student was being part of the Riseholme family, and whenever my path crosses with another former student, there’s a kind of kinship.

At weekends I would get a lift to my weekend job waitressing, and later working behind the bar at a local restaurant.

What was the best thing about your time at Riseholme?

I’ve always felt a sense of belonging to a community, having studied at Riseholme. Whenever I meet other fellow former students, for me, there’s a shared experience and an invisible bond from that experience.

How has your time at the college benefitted your life and career?

I started work in a farm office straight after leaving Riseholme. It was a business offering farm consultancy and agronomy services.

My time at Riseholme gave me a good set of basic skills to really thrive in my role. I also feel having lived on site at college, I gained maturity which I wouldn’t have got from going to sixth form.

I don’t work in agriculture any more. I’m now Managing Director of a multi-award-winning website design and digital marketing agency, DBS Digital. Interestingly, when I left Riseholme in 1993, there was no such thing as Google or Facebook. It does make me wonder what roles the students of today may be doing in 20 years’ time.

How do you think Riseholme has changed over the years?

So much has changed since I attended – not only a new campus but the number of students who are full time residential and the courses offered are massively different.

A lot of this is a sign of the times and some of this has been a result of the merger with Bishop Burton College.