What inspired you to join the team at Queen Mary University of London?
The Global Opportunities Team at Queen Mary is one of the most successful in the U.K. in their work within student mobility. I found this really inspiring and wanted to bring Summer School to Queen Mary and make it a part of their success! My colleagues truly are some of the best people I have ever worked with—their passion, dedication, and experience in working with students from all over the world makes for such motivating atmosphere to work in. It’s amazing and that’s why I wanted to join!
With Summer School students and academics
Can you tell us about your current position as the Director of Summer School at QMUL?
Yes! I am in charge of planning and delivering the Summer School Program at Queen Mary. The Summer school ran for the first time in 2018, which was a very exciting time for me! I joined the team in September 2017, and am responsible for developing the courses we offer, applications and admissions processes, recruitment, marketing, logistics, and most importantly, taking care of the students once they arrive on campus and making sure they have the best Summer School experience ever.
What do you love most about your job?
The students! It’s such a wonderful feeling when they finally arrive on campus. We start getting interest for the summer school as early as September the year before so it really is a long build up to when I finally get to meet them!
Once they are here I get such huge satisfaction from helping them settle in and making them feel at home. I appreciate that for many students it’s their first time in London—or abroad—and it can be a bit daunting, especially because the Summer School is such an intensive program they really do hit the ground running!
I help students settle in by being there when they arrive at their on campus accommodation to answer any questions and take them for a welcome pizza that evening, that way they have one less thing to think about and can meet other students. I also love showing students London, the city that I love! It’s the best time of year to visit the city and there is so much to see and do—I get to play tour guide for a few weeks!
Outside a temple in Bagan, Myanmar
Why are summer programs ideal for students looking to come to QMUL?
They’re an excellent way to get a taste of Queen Mary life and university study in an intensive burst! For many people it can be a scary thing to think of leaving the familiar and living in another country for a long period of time, but Summer School provides students an opportunity to gain an enriching academic and international experience in a short period of time.
It’s an ideal way to test out studying and living abroad without making a big commitment, we hope that it can be the beginning of many people’s journeys to exploring the globe. Summer School is also another avenue for gaining credit that students can use to contribute to their home degrees, which is a great opportunity to try out a different academic pathway and teaching style than is available to them at home!
What do you hope students take away from QMUL summer programs?
A sense of tremendous academic achievement, a love for London, new friends from all over the world, and a passion for exploring new places!
You have lived an international life. How does that influence your work today?
I think it’s given me empathy—I know exactly how it feels to be somewhere unfamiliar for the first time and to feel a little lost. This has shaped the way I interact with students prior to them arriving and once they’re on campus. Hopefully being greeted with a smile and an understanding attitude makes them feel at ease—it’s little things like that truly make a difference to people.
Summer School students at the Cutty Sark
What makes London a great location for students to study and live in?
London is so international, it’s got an amazing way of making people visiting from all over the world feel like they’re at home instantly. This is incredibly valuable for students studying short term programs, settling in quickly can have such a positive impact on your academic performance and the way you make friends. It’s also literally got something for everyone, whatever your interests—whether it’s swing dancing, Mongolian throat singing, football, wood carving or canoeing—you can do it all in this wonderful city and find others that have the same interests as you too!
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
For me, meaningful travel is about enjoying the what the world has to offer, making memories and friends that you’ll cherish forever, and learning about history and cultures different to yours that shape the way that you behave and treat others throughout your life.
Why do you think it is important for individuals to travel and experience new cultures?
It’s important because you’re going home at the end of it with more understanding for people from different backgrounds to you. This really gives you food for thought and makes your life so much richer—taking a moment to appreciate where you’ve come from but at the same time learning from other environments to better your own—it’s a real gift.
Early morning fisherman on Inle Lake, Myanmar
What are your hopes for the future of summer programs at QMUL?
I hope that they grow so that many more subject areas are covered, I’d love to develop more science and technology courses as I think that many students interested in those subjects don’t have as much of an opportunity to study abroad than others.
I hope that the future Summer School provides many opportunities to students that wouldn’t usually take the leap to study in another country and gives them the confidence to go out into the world and grab everything it has to offer them.
I hope that many, many more students get to experience Queen Mary in the summer time! It’s such a wonderful place to be when the sun is shining, sitting by the canal, watching the world go by. I hope to welcome some readers of this to Queen Mary one day too—I’d love to meet you!
