Casey Bull is preparing to take her studies to the US after accepting a scholarship offer from Jacksonville College, Texas.
Having enrolled at the PNECET Sports College in the summer of 2017, Casey has spent three years studying at Preston North End, initially embarking on the Level 2 course, before progressing to the two-year Level 3 course.
Casey is set to join the Texas college in August this year, having also received an offer to study with another college in Iowa, and is looking to study psychology while continuing to play football.
Speaking about her time at the PNECET Sports College, Casey said: “I have made lifelong friends at PNECET Sports College and the staff make the college very welcoming.
“They are always there to help, whether it be with work, football or other aspects outside of college. Everyone makes you feel a part of the PNE community.
“The things I have enjoyed most about the course is the diversity of the topics we study, the friends I have made and the staff members. We always study different areas of sports, which keeps the classes interesting and engaging. All the students work together and help each other out.”
Another who has flourished during her time at PNE CET Sports College is Raeesa Yasin, while studying for her Level 3 diploma in Sport and Exercise, Rae has truly come out of her shell, developing her own football skills and taking up plenty of work experience opportunities in the process.
That has included assisting the coaches on the PNE CET Summer Soccer School, for which Rae earned great praise for her rapport with participants, thus boosting her confidence. She has also been employed by the Trust on a part-time basis on first team matchdays.
“I have always been interested in learning about sport following on from the enjoyment I gained from GCSE PE in high school,” Rae said.
“I was keen on continuing my passion to play football in a sporting environment rather than giving it up, with the personal goal to improve as a player on and off the pitch that drove me to this point.
“I have always wanted a job in sport, whatever it was to be. I also wanted to do something out of the ordinary, and not something that girls where I come from would look to do.”
Rae’s commitment to and passion for her studies was reflected when she picked up all three awards available in our student graduation ceremony in the summer of 2019 – winning the players’ player of the year, manager’s player of the year and student of the year.
She is hoping to use her time studying the course on offer from the Trust to help her progress to completing a sports psychology degree.
“From the qualifications that I gain from this BTEC course, I would like to continue my education through university, studying sports psychology, a career that grew to my interest since carrying out some units on the sports programme.
“This is my career that I want to achieve from coming onto this course, as I like the idea of being able to help athletes and motivate them through their sport.
"The Sport Psychology unit that we completed last year also reassured me in wanting to do this in the future.”