Walk to Central’s new studios in Southwark. I’m lucky that I live in student accommodation close by. Some of the students travel from home and take the tube or train. It was quite hard in the First Year to live away from home, but I found that everyone is welcoming and Central soon becomes like a second family.

Most days start with a ballet class. We start with practising basic steps at the barre which then progress to more complicated combinations of dance steps, building in energy and complexity. We also train separately with specialist tutors to develop specific skills, such as perfecting jumps and turns in the men’s class and pointe work for ladies, which I have later in the day.

After pas de deux, the ladies we go straight into pointe class. Most classical ballets will involve ladies on pointe so it is important that we learn the specific technique to ensure we can do it safely while making it look as effortless as possible.

We’re split into two groups now for study skills and today we’re in the seminar room for a session about costume design. We learn to appreciate how costumes are created, the fabrics used and the requirements for dance performance – being able to move and look stunning on stage! In these sessions we listen to experts in their field such as nutrition for peak performance or how to transition into dance professionals.

I head to my Contemporary class which is a new dance style for me. I was surprised how much I enjoy the different techniques involved and the music used in repertoire. Most of the international ballet companies also perform contemporary pieces so it’s a very valuable skill in terms of future employment.

Sometimes we might have events or performances in the evening, but tonight is quiet so I dip into one of the study spaces to do some work on one of my essays. As well as training really hard, we have academic requirements for the degree too. I have an essay due next week about injury prevention – a topic close to my heart. Sometimes I may head to the gym at this point for some weight training but today I head straight home.

My new pointe shoes arrived today! There is nothing like the joy of brand-new pointe shoes. We usually need several pairs of pointe shoes each month which increases during performances. They are expensive, between £45-£60 each. Luckily, I receive a bursary through Central that helps pay for my living expenses, pointe shoes and uniform. I’m so grateful to the people who have donated to help fund my extra degree costs because without this support I would struggle.