Biography
Sitara‘s creativity began at a young age when she discovered her love of language and creative writing. This led her to the study of Classics (Latin and Ancient Greek) at the University of Cambridge, an experience which honed her attention to detail and use of language.
During her undergraduate study there, she also found the student radio station. She has been involved with radio ever since, in local stations near Cheshire and nationally, including BBC Radio 2. She enjoys the challenges of being in front and behind the microphone, initially presenting and producing her own weekly show alongside regularly assisting with other daytime and evening shows at Cheshire’s Mix 56 (formerly Lymm Radio).
This led her to BBC Radio ~ Manchester and Merseyside ~ which have provided plenty of opportunities to enhance her skills. Sitara takes delight in the power of radio, as the power of listening is most evident and connecting with others through only the use of a voice is not to be underestimated. Sitara launched her own podcast in late 2022, which has featured Olympians, actors from TV and theatre and many other individuals…
Sitara has also completed a Masters in Broadcast Journalism, acquiring a distinction from the University of Salford. Here, she learnt about the significance of cameras as well as studying a module in Marketing & PR. She was keen to ameliorate her skills further and despite the challenges caused by the covid-19 pandemic, delivered some online marketing guidance to pharmaceutical companies, with particular focus on the use of social media for business and brand. She began to regularly practise with her DSLR camera, inspired by all that she had learnt…
Since then, she has worked hard to improve the brand of one of the UK’s top independent schools in the country.
She has built their social media channels, launched their Facebook account from scratch and can regularly be found in some location across the school with a camera in her hands…
Sitara has competed further courses in Videography and Cinematography to build on her existing knowledge and expertise.
Personally, Sitara is an enthusiast for all Watersports ~ dinghy sailing, wakeboarding, SUP and wake foiling in particular ~ and takes inspiration from the aquatic locations for her photography.
She is now keen for new challenges on and off the water…
Sports
Along with writing, sports has always been a huge part of Sitara's life. Whatever the sport, she finds that it is a valuable way to let the mind switch off for a while and to allow creativity in the quiet. From a young age, she participated in the activities of swimming, joining Stockport Metro for many years, and ballet, achieving Royal Academy of Dance Grade 8.
She continues to enjoy both sports as they provide tranquil environments in which she has discovered many useful creative and writing ideas, most especially for blogs.
Furthermore, Watersports developed from her enjoyment of swimming into a multitude of others, because the element presents a calming and steady atmosphere. Sitara relishes the challenges of: dinghy sailing and racing in an RS200; wakeboarding behind boat and cable; open water swimming in a variety of locations; SUP in coastal locations and is keen to develop her experience of WingSUP, Windsurfing, Kitesurfing and Wakefoiling, having tried many of these sports abroad in recent months. She works as a Global Brand Ambassador for Rooster and is passionate about increasing the accessibility of all Watersports. She has written blogs for the brand about motivation, wakeboarding and dinghy racing.In her experience, Watersports establishes a great balance between respect and talent, given that the strength of the wind and weather conditions can invariably change and you have to know how best to channel its power.
One of her best running adventures was competing in the Vitality event at Chatsworth, where she met Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill who remains an encouraging role model for female athletes. During that same year, she successfully completed my Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award and so, waited to receive my invitation to the ceremony...
Her interaction with the guest speaker, Steve Hill MBE, inspired her to undertake yearly challenges in order to develop and grow as she faced these physical undertakings. He discussed his life journey which began with the personal challenge of running 10km for charity which became part of the yearly "Mr Hill's challenges", resulting in adventures such as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and completing the Amazon Jungle Ultra Marathon, a 230km self-supported race through the jungle. His motto "I can & I will" encouraged Sitara to consider her own life, what was truly important and how she could remind everyone around about the importance of keeping a positive mindset whenever possible.
A love for quotes and sheer determination to keep going no matter what resonated strongly with her own personal drive and she feels immensely grateful to have had such wonderful opportunities to meet role models such as Steve Hill throughout my life so far, as it demonstrates the impact one person can have on your life.
Sitara hopes to be able to leave my own positive mark in the years to come...