Class of 2026
Environmental and Social Justice MA
Marine Conservation Volunteer – Wildlifesense
Country: Greece
IF YOU STUDIED YOUR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMME AT YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES, DID YOU GO ON TO POSTGRADAUTE STUDY?
Yes, at York St John University.
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN THIS PHOTO AS YOUR YSJ SNAPSHOT?
My dream job is to be a conservationist but I felt I lacked experience and didn’t have a clear image of what that would entail. I decided to spend two weeks in kelafonia volunteering to collect data on posidonia sea grass meadows, beach profile measures, vegetation of sand dunes, light pollution and bird surveys. Now having learned how to collect various datas, how to store and write them up on an excel, I feel more ready to make a reality the future career I’ve been dreaming about.
WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND YSJ TO SOMEONE?
YSJ has a small but diverse community and it feels like you can really make a difference on campus, staff are super friendly, hard working and inspiring. I don’t know how I could have gone through my university experience without them.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES?
York was a gorgeous city I longed to live in and YSJ felt like one of the only universities willing to give me the chance to prove myself despite not having previous related academic experience which has opened so many more doors for me.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE COMPLETING YOUR STUDIES?
Besides volunteering and taking a well deserved break after 5 years of hard work, I’m soon going to job search and take driving lessons to built more employable skills.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR SPECIFIC COURSE?
The environment and social issues mean so much to me, I believe that utopia is inevitable but we must work hard to get there and I want to be an inspiration for others in that regard.
WHAT WERE THE BEST FEATURES OF YOUR COURSE?
I love the the trip we took to the York cemetery and London to help us visualize and discuss green spaces in urban areas which is a huge interest of mine.
HOW DID STUDYING AT YSJ HELP IN YOUR CAREER SEARCH/SUCCESS/CURRENT ROLE?
Working for the Wild Wednesdays and the living lab really built up my coordinating and presentation skills, I found I love communicating for causes I’m passionate about and how I may work in a team to run and deliver projects for people and planet
WHAT ONE PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A CURRENT STUDENT, OR ONE ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
Take a break, you’ve worked hard! There is no rush to life and it’ll be right there once you’re ready.