BEYOND AMBITION.

Welcome to the 10th generation of Vita Student. This year, we’re fuelling your ambitions with 10 life-changing competition prizes, inspiring stories from former Vita Student residents, and Begin Big events.

Competition

10 big prizes to kick-start your career. One prize dropping every month until August. Take a look at our winners so far.

SUCCESS STORIES

Where has ambition taken our residents in their careers?

YASSHMITA
VITA STUDENT BIRMINGHAM 02/09/2023
A young person gazes upwards, beyond ambition, set against a colorful, abstract background featuring bright yellow swirls and pixelated patterns in pink and purple hues. The image captures a vibrant, modern art-inspired style.
ZIHAO
VITA STUDENT LEEDS 27/08/2021
LAKECHIA
VITA STUDENT YORK 01/09/2018
Smiling woman with long hair in a colorful, abstract setting featuring yellow shapes and multicolored patterns. The image exudes an aura of ambition, enhanced by glitch art effects with digital distortions and vibrant textures, pushing boundaries beyond ambition's reach.
AARON
VITA STUDENT NEWCASTLE 31/08/2019
A man in a collared shirt gazes upward with a thoughtful expression, embodying the essence of Beyond Ambition. Vibrant abstract patterns and colorful geometric shapes overlay the black and white portrait, crafting a modern and artistic effect.
KATHRYN
VITA STUDENT LEEDS 16/08/2023
A woman smiling in a digital art-style image with glitch effects. Beyond her, the background is a mix of vivid pinks, purples, blacks, and yellows, featuring geometric patterns and a prominent yellow squiggly line.
MAY
VITA STUDENT NEWCASTLE 01/07/2017
JUAN
VITA STUDENT BARCELONA 24/08/2023
SIMPLE
VITA STUDENT MANCHESTER 31/08/2020
A woman with long dark hair is in a digitally altered portrait that exudes ambition. The background features vibrant colors and abstract shapes, including yellow squiggles and pixelated patterns. The overall effect is futuristic and glitch-like.

YASSHMITA

Yasshmita Jadishkumar – Pro Squash Player

Many people want to be the best in the world at what they do – but not many actually manage to achieve it. However Yasshmita, a current resident at Vita Student, is already on her way there. At the young age of 19, she is a professional squash player representing her home-country Malaysia and is ranked in the top 100 players in the world.

Yasshmita started playing squash in her early teens and has quickly risen up the ranks. But it hasn’t come without perseverance and commitment – Yasshmita trains multiple times a day and has sacrificed a lot of her university life to succeed in her dreams.

ZIHAO

A person wearing sunglasses and a backpack stands on a rural path, surrounded by hills, trees, and a distant lake under a partly cloudy sky.

Zihao Yang – Brand Manager at Huawei

Despite only leaving Vita Student a few years ago, Zihao is already forging a successful career in China as a Brand Manager at Huawei, China’s biggest telecommunications manufacturer.

LAKECHIA

A person stands on a paved area near a modern building, its glass and metal panels reflecting the sky. The curved stone structure on the left beautifully contrasts with the building's geometric lines, embodying a vision that reaches beyond ambition under the clear blue sky.

Lakechia Jeanne – Founder of Girls in Science

With a background in both science and media, Lakechia Jeanne has combined her experience to advance the career opportunities of women. She is the Founder of Girls in Science, a social initiative to help women into careers in STEM.

Lakechia started Girls in Science while living at Vita Student Lawrence Street in York, and since then she has helped around 3000 women into scientific careers. She hosts events, connecting graduates with employers, provides one-on-one mentorship for women, and takes part in public speaking engagements to inspire women in scientific fields.

She has won multiple awards including the Women’s Leaders Awards, which she now judges.

AARON

Aaron Langford – Social Influencer

Aaron Langford has always strived to use his platform for change. In his daily life, he works as a Business Development Co-ordinator for Cognassist, an education-tech start-up that works to help businesses develop supportive frameworks for employees with neurodiversity.

Outside of his daily role, he is a TikTok social influencer who livestreams on a weekly basis to raise awareness of androgenic alopecia, a condition that he was diagnosed with at age 13. His livestreaming journey began after posting a viral video while living at Vita Student Westgate in Newcastle.

Gaining millions of views on his content, and up to 30,000 live viewers in a single livestream, Aaron answers questions about his alopecia and uses the power of social media to spread positivity to his audience across the world. In addition to this, he has launched multiple social and community initiatives, and is nominated for this year’s England Business Awards.

KATHRYN

A person with long brown hair is speaking into a microphone, smiling slightly. They are wearing a light gray sweater and sitting in front of a laptop, with large windows in the background showing a view of trees.

Kathryn Roberts – Documentary Director and Podcaster

Kathryn didn’t expect that she would have directed her own documentary by the time that she graduated, or that she would be producing a successful podcast now into its fourth season. But here she is.

MAY

Collage of three images with text "BEYOND AMBITION." Top left: Group of people posing indoors. Bottom left: Person speaking directly to camera. Right: Person in a red blazer speaking outside, surrounded by greenery.

May James – Business Scaling Expert

Since her time living at Vita Student studying in Newcastle, May James is now successfully forging a career on her own terms. She is a business scaling expert, coaching female CEOs across the globe and helping them to turn their small businesses into multi-million pound enterprises.

During her studies, May took a year to mentor small businesses in Uganda, but contracted a virus that later developed into a life-long illness. Knowing that she would never be able to work a typical 9-5, she was forced to remap her entire life plan.

Since then, she has firmly established herself in the world of business, gaining multiple awards for her work including the NE Young Businesswoman of the Year. She also hosts her own podcast, The Honest Business Podcast, is a mentor for Virgin StartUp, and was a Delegate for the UN Women.

JUAN

A person wearing sunglasses and a light blue shirt with a cardigan stands on a rocky shore. The ocean and distant landforms are visible under an orange sunset sky. The person is smiling and looking off to the side.

Juan Rodriguez Pablo Falcon – CFO at Shalion

Many students face the difficulty of juggling their studies with their job – and for Juan, this feeling is all too familiar. As the Chief Financial Officer of Shalion, a start-up data services company in Barcelona, he has mastered the art of handling pressure and balancing time.

Juan is a Vita Student Alumni who formerly lived in our Pedralbes building in Barcelona.

SIMPLE

A person holding a microphone is speaking at an event. They stand in front of a projector screen displaying text in Chinese and some English, including "Blue Focus." The individual appears engaged in delivering a presentation.

Simple Wu – Manager at BlueFocus Shanghai

Simple is a busy woman.

She works for BlueFocus, one of China’s leading integrated marketing and advertising agencies. As the General Manager for their entire Shanghai Brand Centre, she is responsible for around 200 employees.

Before achieving a role that many people dream of, Simple lived at Vita Student First Street, in Manchester.

A person stands and speaks, projected with a purple gradient overlay that symbolizes their journey beyond ambition. They wear a tan blazer and lanyard, gesturing passionately. The softly blurred background hints at an inspiring presentation or speech setting.

Alumni

Join our global Alumni network to stay connected with your Vita Student community and access exclusive experiences and opportunities for years to come.

WHAT WE’RE ABOUT

Vita Student is for students that want it all. For students that want to live without limits.

With an all-inclusive service, living at Vita Student lifts some of the pressures from university life, allowing you to focus on your studies and your experience.

Our buildings are full of friendly faces from many different places. All here to make the most of their time at university. Whether you are creative or academic, Vita Student is the place to learn, thrive and make connections.

Social Stories

A dancer in mid-air, embodying a dynamic pose that transcends beyond ambition, enhanced by a colorful digital glitch effect. Set against a vibrant blend of city lights and modern architecture, the dancer dons black clothing and striking red shoes.