Regan Hoggarth

One tutor in particular was a marine biologist and I finally had a role model! This helped my self esteem and my drive massively, and even now I feel I owe Kendal a lot for that, and allowing me to grow into myself and my passion.

What did you enjoy most about your time at Kendal College?

I actually started quite late, around November of the academic year, so I had a lot of catching up to do. I managed it, and I managed to hit the higher criteria alongside all the current assignments! It was here that I finally started to see some potential behind me. I spent years hearing that my career goal and pursuing marine biology here in the UK was futile and unrealistic, and maybe I should consider a back up plan. I never once heard that from any tutors or mentors at Kendal, and one tutor in particular WAS a marine biologist and I finally had a role model! This helped my self esteem and my drive massively, and even now I feel I owe Kendal a lot for that, and allowing me to grow into myself and my passion.

What are you doing now?

I left Kendal College in 2019 after studying Animal Care Level 3 and even now, I still deem it as one of the most enjoyable periods in my life. I think it was those few years in which I really found myself, and I found the “umph” I needed from my peers and tutors. I’m now an aquarist at the Lakes Aquarium, and I owe a lot of the dedication to chasing that role to my time at Kendal College.

Did you choose your career path with this occupation in mind?

Kind of. When I first figured out what I wanted to do, I don’t think it was a particularly common interest. Most of the advice I could find was just, GCSEs, A-levels, then degree. I never heard any mention of BTECs and such courses. My original plan of action wasn’t working for me, and that was around the time I found out Kendal did an animal course and that it was accepted by universities, so I made the jump and switched to Kendal’s BTEC course. I’m glad I did, as I think it gave me much more insight as to where to end up post-education, even though at the time I wasn’t particularly aware of it.

Do you use skills that you obtained during your course at Kendal College?

Hands on experience with animals was a big one that had the opportunity to delve into, and that has been handy as I’ve managed to get into the animal industry—even if some establishments care for their animals in different ways, having that baseline from working with the animals in Kendal’s Animal Rescue Centre was handy as it gave that understanding, especially where experience is key. I’ve grown up with fish ponds, but never tanks, and here I had the chance to learn about the importance and how to carry out water testing, changes and husbandry of a cichlid tank. I remember doing a full aquatics unit, which was handy for me and my goal, so I had to learn the basics of the nitrogen cycle and its importance, and the life support systems in aquatics. This gave me skills and background knowledge that has stuck in there, and it has come back to help me now that I’m in the industry myself.

Were you involved in any extracurricular activities?

I’ve been a qualified SCUBA diver for a decade now! I’ve also had the opportunity to train as a Marine Mammal Medic thanks to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (of which Kendal College made me aware of in the first place), as well as shore searches, beach cleans and I’ve done a few behind the scenes tours of aquarium and zoological facilities when I can.

Could you give us one or more career tips for the current students?

I feel like sometimes it’s the given answer, but keep pushing, and have faith in yourself! I found it hard, too, but I kept trying and eventually, I got there. Depending on the career you’re aiming for although I think it can be applicable to most, experience and networking are hugely beneficial, even if that experience is only voluntary. Talking to people already in the industry you’re striving for helps to get your name out there, and a well-structured cover letter can demonstrate passion and drive—it helped me. Also, sometimes it feels like a kick in the teeth when you land a job you’re not really aiming for… but every job has its transferrable skills that will help you when you’re applying for other jobs. For me it was customer service experience, which I think you can completely forget is even desirable in the aquarist industry.

What would you say to a person who is thinking of studying at the college?

Personally, making the move to Kendal College was genuinely one of the best decisions I’d made. I gained experience, ambition, I had role models, and my assignments could even be tailored to my own interests in some cases (I learnt so much more about my favourite animal this way).