Welcome to a new academic year! We are thrilled to be welcoming so many students from around the world to the UDA family. We are excited to see what our students will accomplish this term and we can't wait to share those successes with you!

As students begin to delve into the semester, they might need some advice along the way. Our support staff on both sides of the pond are here to answer all questions from how to set up a phone plan to the best ways to balance academic and social life. "[We] work directly with students to learn and understand their individual needs. "We view students as people who are working to achieve their goals, and we are here to help them in doing so. The personal approach we take helps us get to know each student so that we can best provide them resources and guidance in studying and living in the UK," stated Justin Karrenberg, Head of Student Recruitment and Advising. ​

As our second and third year students are beginning to consider where their degree can take them, that's where we come in! Our Dream Maker Program allows second and third year students to connect with companies that match their skills and aspirations in order to aid them in discovering their passions. 

Our Dream Maker Program allows second and third year students to develop a professional portfolio that showcases their academic interests, passions, and skills. We then share this portfolio with companies that match the student's skills and aspirations in order to aid them in discovering a future career. We want to ensure that our graduating students discover a field they are interested in that then leads to a purposeful life. ​

Do you have any hobbies?
I love to cook when I can as well as find and try all sorts of restaurants and cuisines.

Favorite pro team/player?
Professional team has to be Manchester United and Wayne Rooney. 

Favorite place you've ever visited?
Favorite place I've ever visited would be the Seychelles. 

Dream Job?
Dream Job would either be a lead project manager in any of the top software companies in Europe or back in the US. 

If you could event a holiday, what would you pick?
A mini holiday in the winter to go out and celebrate with friends and family after Christmas and before New Years. 

The situation during the pandemic was less than ideal, and almost all of us went home when COVID broke out last year. UDA was on course to win the Northwest when the season had to be cut short, which was a bummer. But the staff was really helpful in letting us know whether it was a good idea or not for us to go home. 

When we got back, we had a great couple months training but we had to wrap up again around November. The worst lockdown has been the third one, this January to March because we couldn't get to play — I have not seen a lot of my teammates since November. But we have now started training again so it's great to see my teammates."

"I work at UDA as the Head of Player Support. It has many strands by focuses on taking care of the boys and ensuring they have any support that is needed whilst they are in the UK — this can be in respect of personal, emotional, financial, academic and health issues, to name just a few. The student athletes are able to contact me at any time with issues or questions they have.

I also have an on-site presence at training sessions and accompany them to the majority of their games. When I am on the campus, I run one-on-one sessions where players can drop in for a chat. I also send out invitations for meetings with any of the boys who I feel need support. I do my best to keep them on track and address anything of concern if I become aware of any lack of engagement. The parents also have my contact details and they are able to contact me to discuss any issues or concerns. 

My favorite part of the job is being part of such a fantastic team. The staff at UDA show constant professionalism and work together to provide the boys with the best possible training and experience they can whilst in the UK. The UDA boys are such a great group to work with, the boys are always polite, respectful, and a joy to be around. I enjoy watching the boys develop and grow during their experience at UDA and being part of that journey and helping them to navigate through is very rewarding. 

I was lucky enough to be asked to become involved with UDA as I have worked with Joel Roberts for 13 years whilst at the College. Joel asked me initially whether I would help to set up the UDA program in the UK and assist with the safeguarding and welfare of the boys. If I'm being honest, I thought that this was a role that I would do for 12 months and then pass onto someone else. However, I feel in love working on the program, being around the boys and liaising with the families. The team in the UK are also a joy to work with so I have stayed and I hope to do so for the foreseeable future!

“We want to make sure our students complete the course, so we’re looking for students who are in good academic standing. We’re also looking for students with good character — honesty and reliability. We also want our players to be able to think critically so that they can solve problems without help. We have played with very technical players who have good mechanics, and are highly skilled, and that is usually what I look for in our potential players.” ​