Cherry Ainsworth studied A-Levels in Biology, Geography, Maths and Music at Richmond upon Thames College from 2005-2007. After finishing her course, she went on to study Human Geography at Southampton University.
When Cherry gained her degree, she was not sure about a specific careers path and fell into a job in recruitment. Since then, she has worked for a variety of organisations in different industries, looking after their recruitment and managing in-house recruitment teams. Now, Cherry is working for The Financial Times as Global Head of Talent Acquisition.
About her time at Richmond upon Thames College, Cherry said, “My favourite subject I studied was Music and I loved my 2007 trip to Spain with the choir. I made so many great friends and great memories on that trip, that I still cherish till this day. Coming to Richmond upon Thames College really helped prepare me for my transition to university and into the world of work. Coming into a big college where you don’t know everyone, taught me confidence skills and the ability to quickly build relationships with new people. These are skills that remain vital in my career to date.”
Her advice to current and prospective students is, “Work hard during your education, but don’t get too wrapped up in having to get the best grades or full marks on exams. Passion, effort and perseverance are equally as important to help you progress in your career. Seeking out a mentor or connections in the chosen field you want to go into can be a really powerful way to help you get onto the career ladder and people are generally really keen to help.”