Reigniting a Love for Learning: Carena Guthrie on her GIS Journey

Some passions stay with us from a young age, and for Carena Guthrie, a love of sport was one of them. Excelling in both her GCSEs and A-Levels, she initially considered teaching but decided to explore other areas of sport to see where her interests might take her.

“This led me to study Sports & Exercise Medical Sciences,” Carena told GIS, “a course I thoroughly enjoyed. However, I found university life itself challenging, and by the end of the three years, I felt ready to step away from traditional education.”

After graduating, Carena started work at a secondary school to reassert her initial dream of going into teaching, but before her first day on the job, she came across GIS on social media.

“I was immediately intrigued by GIS’ online, flexible approach,” she said. “Although my undergraduate experience had been difficult, I realised that I still loved learning, and, of course, sport.”

Enrolling on our MSc International Sport Management programme, Carena felt that GIS offered the perfect opportunity to combine her reaffirmed love for learning with an ever-present passion for sport. She chose to study alongside her full-time job, determined to complete her studies within a year.

“What made this demanding period manageable was not only the flexible online delivery, but also the fact that studying never felt like a chore,” Carena explained. 

“My curiosity for learning had returned, especially as I was now exploring a completely different area of sport. The content was genuinely thought-provoking and played a huge role in strengthening my critical analysis skills.” 

Carena went on to explain that, coming from a background in sports science, she was particularly interested in the business aspect of sport, saying: “GIS opened my eyes to a side of the sports industry I hadn’t previously considered – one I now wish I had discovered much earlier.”

During her studies, Carena also attended one of GIS’ Global Sports Summits, flying out to Miami for a week of industry-leading guest speakers, exclusive behind-the-scenes access to world-leading venues, and elite-level live sport, labelling the summit an “incredible opportunity.”

“It was there that I realised where I was truly meant to be,” she added, and it was within three months of this realisation that we welcomed her to the GIS team after she secured the role of Student Recruitment & Events Assistant.

“It’s a job I wholeheartedly love. It was the plot twist I never saw coming, but exactly the one I needed.”

To date, Carena has built experience working with UK Sport, England Hockey and Hyrox, as well as engaging in talks with WSL clubs in a professional capacity. 

Recently graduating with a distinction, Carena says her goal now is to play a key part in developing and supporting GIS’ athlete student community, whilst of course keeping herself open to new opportunities which her journey so far has shown her the importance of. 

Her advice?

“Stay curious about the possibilities beyond the obvious – and never ignore your gut instinct.”

To follow in Carena’s footsteps and delve into the world of sport, you can discover more of our postgraduate courses on our offerings page to find the perfect programme for you.

Article by Zakaria Anani