Class of 2003
BA (Hons) Cultural Studies
IF YOU STUDIED YOUR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMME AT YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES, DID YOU GO ON TO POSTGRADUATE STUDY?
Yes, somewhere else.
JOB:
Lecturer in Early Years
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN THIS PHOTO AS YOUR YSJ SNAPSHOT?
I remember graduating as such a time of self discovery, I am pictured here with my parents on graduation day and the same winter, on a trip, almost a pilgrimage to Haworth with uni friends. I later chose to focus my MA dissertation on female authored confessional poetry inspired by the rich literary heritage of Yorkshire.
WHAT ARE YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES OF YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY?
University is a time to learn- about your chosen subject but also about yourself and where you fit in to the world, a journey you embark on with people who become lifelong friends. St John’s cradled all of us throughout our years and set us all on paths to greater discovery, further study or employment. I have always been grateful for the lessons I learned there and the lifelong love of learning I hold with me to this day.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES?
I chose my course because I wanted to learn to look outward and learn how and why people live, love and learn. Cultural theory is the study of cultural texts and the course embraced units from disciplines across college- Theology, history, film and literature. It gave me the wide range I was looking for and the lecturers were second to none.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE COMPLETING YOUR STUDIES?
After graduating my core lecturer, Richard Tyler, recommended me for a Masters at York University, and I won a bursary in order to study MA Women’s Studies (Humanities). After that I worked for the Home Office with asylum seekers and there discovered I had a passion for supporting women, families and children. I then went on to qualify at postgraduate level to practice and lead Early Years Education in settings and schools, which I did for fifteen years, including leading and managing breastfeeding support networks in West Yorkshire. I relocated my family back home to the South Lakes where I was offered an opportunity to lecture in Early Years Education. I now train Early Years Practitioners on the new T Level in Education and Early Years, giving me the opportunity to be at the very forefront of innovative practice as we reshape the unique skills EY practitioners must have to meet the challenges that come with preparing children under five for their lifelong journey towards healthy, happy lives.
WHAT ONE PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A CURRENT STUDENT, OR ONE ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
Use this time to begin to understand yourself better, take every single opportunity offered to you and always look outwards. Make friends, have fun and enjoy yourself; but remember the patterns you set during your time will shape your future. Be determined and believe in yourself.