How long have you worked at the Uni? What does your role involve?
I’ve worked at the University since July 2018. I look after some of the staff communication channels, like the homepage and the @UniofBathStaff Twitter account. I also work on a number of projects, such as Staff Spotlight and the ‘Meet our new Vice-Chancellor’ events, which ran in June and July. My role also involves writing articles, gathering data and helping implement the internal communications strategy.
What would you most like to achieve while at the University?
I’m really proud of quite a lot already, and I don’t have any specific goals in mind. But I would love to know that people experience a good service when they get in touch with a comms request or would like some advice. I think it’s really important that people feel they can approach us and that we will help them, rather than just try to ‘get through it’ on their own. We’ve got lots of knowledge of our channels and we can really help make sure that comms is done well.
Name one thing that makes you feel proud to work at the University of Bath?
It has to be Staff Spotlights! I have met so many interesting, fascinating and lovely people over the last year through these interviews. It’s really great to get to know people better too. But one of the things that has struck me since I started doing them is that everyone is really proud of one another and of the community that Bath has. I think it’s really unusual for so many people to pick up on the same thing, so to know that is a view shared by many people is really amazing.
What piece of advice would you like to give to a student?
That it’s OK if you don’t get to do everything that university offers. Don’t get me wrong, university is a great place to explore lots of different options, try new activities, volunteer, and the list goes on. But when I was at university, I had to hold down a job in retail, working a minimum of 8 hours a week, and often ended up working a lot more than that. At times it was a 40 hour week. I wouldn’t have been able to go to university otherwise as that money paid for a big chunk of my rent, my travel, everything. So I actually missed out on a lot of extra-curricular stuff, but I still got my degree, had a great time, and am now working in a field that I love. I know that’s completely different to what a lot of people have said in response to this question, but I think it’s definitely something we should bear in mind because I think it's more common than people think.
Who was your most influential teacher/educator, and why?
There’s been a few, and some of them have been influential in terms of my studies and career, but one was actually really important socially. His nickname was GB, and he taught maths in high school. Every single day he brought his Xbox into school and hooked it up to a TV in his classroom so we could play Halo 2. It was pretty cool because we'd play a knockout tournament every day. It’s because of him that I met a new group of friends who I’m still friends with now. They made the last couple of years of high school much better when it felt like I didn’t fit in with the people I'd been friends with for the first two years.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
The two that stick out are a solicitor and an English teacher. I nearly went to university to study English, before changing my mind to nursing. I then panicked, took a gap year where I just worked while I figured out what I wanted to do, and ended up studying Public Relations and Communications. But it didn’t really click that I wanted to work in Internal Communications until after I graduated and ended up on a graduate scheme that placed people in the housing sector. I worked on implementing a new intranet, which I now realise is a huge project, let alone when you’ve only just graduated.
What’s the one thing you know now that you wish you’d known when you were younger?
I think it’s that, sometimes, time doesn’t heal all wounds and it’s a really conscious effort to forgive people when you feel like you’ve been wronged. Outside of work, I’ve been lucky enough to engage with a Coach who has really helped put a lot of ‘life stuff’ into context, helping me build my confidence and navigate life! I suppose as a second point, it would be that it is OK to not know how to do everything without having some help. Some of the most successful people in the world needs someone in their circle who isn’t a friend but actually wants to help you succeed.
What was your first job?
I worked on a holiday park in a fish and chip van. I went home every night stinking of chips, but I loved it. It really taught me about work ethic and how to keep going on a long bank holiday shift! I did everything, from chipping the potatoes, to cooking and serving. But it was really lovely to get great feedback from guests as they checked out, and to see the same people come back the following year. I was there for 3 seasons before I got a job working in the reception as a holiday sales administrator.
If you could start your own dream business, what would it be?
This might sound a bit boring, but I love what I do and I’m so passionate about the impact of ‘good’ internal comms, so it would be to have my own agency. I’d like to make it as accessible as possible to make sure that all companies, especially smaller ones who would love to do more on internal comms but simply don't have the budget, could get help and advice. I’d also love to use it as an opportunity to offer apprenticeships, help people who have been out of work for a while, and partner with a variety of charities, including refuges. As it would be a dream business, I’d love to have a really great employee benefits package to make sure I could do as much for those people as possible.
Where is your favourite holiday destination and why?
In 2015, fresh off a break up, my best friend and I booked a trip to the East Coast of America. We spent a few days in New York then spent a week on a Trek America tour. We went to Philadelphia, Washington DC, The Berkshires, Niagara Falls and Boston. We were camping too, so each morning we had to pack up our tent and put all the stuff in the van before we set off for the next place.
It was just such an amazing experience to see all these different sights, all in the space of a week, and each one was so different too. Niagara Falls was just breath-taking. We got to see it from the American side, then crossed over into Canada to see it from the other side. I have to say, I think the Canadian side was better!
What’s your favourite book or album and why?
I don’t tend to listen to full albums, as I get sucked in by Spotify playlists which can be quite random sometimes. But if I had to pick one album, it would probably be Untamed, sung by a country artist called Cam. I think country music has a pretty bad reputation sometimes but it’s such a wide-ranging genre and it’s not always what people think it is. Untamed is a really great example of that and is just a lovely album to listen to. I managed to get tickets to see her play at Bush Hall in London a couple of years ago and her voice is just fantastic. If it’s possible, she’s even better live and has so much energy. So much so, she lost an earring at that gig!
When are you happiest?
Whenever I’m with my friends and my husband. I’m actually really lucky that I’ve made a good group of friends wherever I’ve lived as I know that’s not always possible. Plus it’s really hard to make new friends as an adult! I ended up joining something called Meetup when I moved to Essex, which is how I met my last group of friends. They’re just a fabulous, eclectic, interesting bunch of people who I don't think I would have met otherwise. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who either wants to make some new friends, or is new to an area.
If you could meet anyone in the world dead or alive who would it be and why?
There’s a YouTuber called Alexandria Ryan who is just hilarious. I love playing about with makeup and finding the right products for me, so I subscribe to her channel. She’s a girl from Kentucky and has her own vintage shop. She’s very funny and very 'real'. She’s clumsy, gets distracted by snacks, regularly drops things that she’s supposed to be describing but is also so honest about things being expensive or that her schedule means she hasn’t had a chance to film. The beauty community on YouTube can be very different to that, particularly when some people can go out and spend hundreds on products or get PR packages, so it’s refreshing to watch one of her videos. I think me and her would get on well!
Which one superpower would you like to possess?
Working in comms, being a mind reader would definitely be helpful! I think sometimes people have an idea of what they want to achieve or want to come up with, but have a hard time articulating it. Plus, I think it would just be interesting. I’d like to be able to block it out though, hearing it all the time might not be fun…
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I love board games! One of my favourites at the moment is a Dungeons and Dragons one called Lords of Waterdeep. I think so often people think of board games and they think of things like Monopoly or Risk, and those are great games, but there is so much more out there. Another one we love is Kingdomino. It’s basically dominoes, but you have a castle and have to match up terrain types to make a certain sized square, and there's always the risk that someone will take the domino you need! Games don’t have to be serious, so it's worth exploring.
Tell us your favourite joke
Scientists recently discovered a new dinosaur that was very intelligent… It’s called a ‘Thesaurus’.