Alumni Stories: Anna Skene-Hill
5th July 2018
In this new series of posts, we’ll be looking at what our former students do after they graduate in History at the University of Gloucestershire. It will demonstrate the various types of employment history graduates can go into, or the varied and interesting experiences they have, providing some useful guides for existing and future students of History. The next story comes from Anna Skene-Hill (class of 2015).
Since graduating from the University of Gloucestershire, I’ve been living in Germany: first as an au pair and then studying English Literatures and Cultures at the University of Tubingen, where I also work as a Writing Tutor. I’m nearing the end of my master’s degree now (writing a thesis on gender in two neo-Victorian novels), but I’ve had so many exciting opportunities through my work and study here: I’ve attended conferences, helped a huge number of students with their academic writing in English and visited a wide range of courses (as well as many beautiful sights).
Nonetheless, I will never forget the fantastic time that I had at Gloucestershire: the things I learned, the friends I made, and the support and intelligence of the lecturers! While my studies have taken a more literary route, my MA also focuses on Cultures, and I can use my BA degree to take a more interdisciplinary approach, and I have not quite been able to leave my love of History behind: even when writing about contemporary literature I have to relate it to the Victorians!
As well as helping my studies, my degree has also enabled me to succeed in my professional and personal life. Being very used to writing essays and conducting research, I’ve put this knowledge to good use as a Writing Tutor and hope to use while continuing to teach Academic Writing. However, studying at Gloucestershire has also taught me to look at the world in a different way and to listen to voices that have not been heard. My advice to the graduates (and students) of the University is this: Keep your options open, as you never know where your degree will take you!
If you are an Alumni in History and you would like to contribute, please contact Christian O’Connell coconnell@glos.ac.uk
Brilliant! and sounds like an exciting career ahead – shame about Brexit!! you are an obvious example of why we want to remain … as are some of our other graduates …