Girl Power: Joada Allen Gives Inspirational Speech for International Women’s Day
Renowned business owner and entrepreneur Joada Allen visited University Centre Rotherham to give an inspirational speech to our college students as part of International Women’s Day.
Joada is widely known for her business Visualised It, a video and aviation production company. Visualised it makes TV adverts and corporate videos, including working with some of TV’s biggest stars such as John Richardson. Joada was a student here at Rotherham College, and went on to graduate from Sheffield Hallam with a degree in Media Production. After beginning her career as a teacher, she realised video production was where her passion lied. She has since gone on to be the President of the Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce.
Joada spoke to students about all different aspects of her career, including how she got to be the woman she is today. She expressed how important being independent and driven from an early age is.
She said: ‘’When I was younger, my Dad told me I couldn’t have pocket money, but anything I earned he would double. He instantly regretted it – I was out washing cars, cutting grass, doing anything I could to make money.
‘’Being determined and entrepreneurial from an early age has set me up to be the woman I am today. There are many different sides to me, from being a business owner, a Mum, and an outgoing party girl. A woman can be many things, and all different aspects of my life make me who I am.
‘’If you surround yourself with a fantastic and diverse range of people, you will go far in your career. It’s all about making connections and having great communication skills. I knew what I wanted and I went for it – there were failures along the way, but making mistakes and learning from them develops you as an individual.’’
There were a diverse range of students present for Joada’s speech, including College students from Level 3 Media, as well as our Level 6 Media and Photography university students.
Level 3 Media student Lucy Williams was amongst the many students who Joada inspired.
She said: ‘’Hearing from a strong female character that they have achieved their dreams within the media industry makes me even more determined to leave College and build a career for myself.
‘’Joada has taught me that even if you fail and make mistakes, you can do something amazing with life and be as successful as you want to be.’’
Stephen Boot, Lecturer for Media, stated that the speech demonstrated to students how anything is achievable if you work hard enough for it.
He said: ‘’Joada is an inspirational woman, but through this she can inspire students of any gender. Students should use her story to show them that you can achieve your goals with hard work and putting effort into the course that inspires you.’’
To learn more about our Media and Photography courses, click here
To learn more about International Women’s Day 2022, click here