Strategy 2035 Locksbrook
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Strategy 2035: Locksbrook Campus
Friday, 10 April, 2026BSU has officially launched its new Strategy 2035. To mark the launch, we’re exploring how the University embodies professional creativity throughout our campuses and initiatives through a series of features on the BSU community.
The University’s Locksbrook Campus is home to BSU’s Art and Design courses. Originally designed by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw in 1976, BSU revitalised the Grade II listed building into an inspirational space for creativity to flourish.
University can be a pivotal experience in a person's life, marking an era of change and growth. But the journey into higher education isn’t always straightforward. For Media Communications graduate, Elana McCabe, it began with uncertainty and a complicated relationship with school. By the end of sixth form, Elana felt disconnected from learning and had little confidence in her future, even considering stepping away from education entirely.
BSU was not a clear ambition, but Elana’s perspective shifted after embarking on her Media Communications course, and from the very first lecture, her mindset began to change.
Remarking on the passion of her lecturers, Elana describes feeling engaged in a way she hadn’t previously. For the first time, learning became enjoyable. This early change marked a turning point, and she began to view education through a lens of genuine interest and motivation.
Elana built confidence through her work; assignments that once might have felt daunting became opportunities to explore creativity professionally. Elana describes the importance of encouragement from her lecturers, who played a crucial role in this mindset shift, helping her to re-evaluate her own abilities and work ethic. Elana said:
“The lecturers at BSU wanted to help me, to see me develop and grow as a person. They’ve made a course that enables that, which is the opposite of what I understood education to be.
“I felt like they had my back, and that makes a massive difference. As soon as you feel supported, anything seems possible.”
With growing confidence, Elana began actively looking for opportunities, diving into coursework, internships, and even winning Adobe’s FA Cup design competition – a project that gave students the chance to create a poster featured in the Women’s FA Cup Final programme, and displayed at the iconic Wembley Stadium.
Elana’s life at BSU became tangible proof that these achievements, once unimaginable, were well within her reach. Discussing how BSU’s supportive environment affected her work, she said:
“That first year, I just loved all the modules. Through the assignments, I ended up building a really good portfolio of work, and I started thinking, maybe I actually can do something with this.
“Being given what seemed like a really small comment, being told I was a hard worker, completely changed how I viewed myself and my work ethic.”
Beyond academia, Elana has found the community aspect of university life incredibly fulfilling. With opportunities to immerse herself in extracurricular activities, meet an entirely new group of people, and explore different interests, she describes developing imperative soft skills which are sometimes overlooked.
Elana’s shift in perspective has led to her pursuing a postgraduate degree at BSU. Now studying for an MA Design (Visual Communication), Elana shared what advice she would give to someone in a similar position to her:
“Give it a go, because it’s unlikely to ever be as disastrous as you think it might be, and some good might actually come out of it. I didn’t think in my wildest dreams this experience would have gone the way it has.”
Interested in shaping your unique creative identity? Explore our Art and Design courses and learn from practising artists and designers while gaining new skills in our specialist workshops.