Student Profiles

I was inspired to pursue humanities at higher education because I was seeking the opportunity to engage in critical thinking and explore our behaviour in societies. During my BA (Hons) in Cultural Studies and Sociology, my interest was sparked by ethnographic research, and I gravitated towards those subject that contained projects of that nature. I found that getting out there and doing research was the best way to make the subject contemporary (and satisfying)!

Projects such as this gave me the opportunity to mix independent and group working, which honed my research and team-building skills. Skills like this are essential in working life but have had particular importance in my current role as Editor-in-chief for Intern Magazine.

After graduating from my bachelor’s, I went on to complete an MA in Sociology. I continued to work in bars for a while until taking the plunge into the world of publishing. I got a paid internship with Domus magazine in Milan after emailing the editor of the website and being interviewed via Skype.I did a second internship with Boat Magazine, this time unpaid but crucial to my learning about the independent magazine industry. My personal thoughts on the subject though are best represented by the various standpoints aired in the first two issues of the magazine.

Intern is a bi-annual independent print publication concerned with internships in the creative industries. The magazine has two main aims. The first is to provide a tactile showcase for the precocious talent currently working in these fields unpaid and as interns. Secondly, we are initiating a long overdue and frank debate about the current state of the intern culture, and its potential implications in both the short and long term for the creative industries.

When I look back to my time as an undergraduate, I would say the skill I gained at MMU that has had most use in my career to date would be that of critical thought. I didn’t think it had influenced me a great deal then, but on reflection I see that the magazine’s ethos was shaped by my sociological background.

Whatever discipline you’re studying, do value your work and do not just agree to give it away unpaid. That, and try to explore and learn anythingand everything digital!

Dave Randall was a huge influence in my third year and was a great dissertation supervisor. His matter-of-fact approach really struck a chord with me and he was always there if I needed a word.

Overall, I thought that the teaching staff were all very much grounded. This made them approachable and a pleasure to work with.