In 2021, Ahanah shared her top tips for new students starting at the School of Education during the final year of her Education Studies degree. Four years on, we caught up with Ahanah to see what she’s been up to since graduating from the School of Education and to find out about her favourite moments while studying with us.
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
My name is Ahanah, I came to the University of Bristol as an international student from Hong Kong! I was one of the first few cohorts of the Education Studies course and during my time at university, I got involved in a lot of the activities within the Student Union.
Why did you choose to study for a Education Studies BSc degree?
I chose to study Education because I wanted to pursue a career in teaching at the time. I had done several different types of work and voluntary experience in Hong Kong and really enjoyed the impact I was having on children’s learning. I was not sure if I wanted to fully commit to a degree that included receiving a PGCE or any other UK based qualification because I was not sure if I would stay in the UK or go back to Hong Kong after university.
What made you choose the School of Education at the University of Bristol for your studies?
I ultimately chose the University of Bristol because I also enjoyed Psychology when I studied it in school, but I was not sure if I wanted to only pursue further education in Psychology. The Education course allowed me to choose units from the Psychology in Education course, and a lot of our classes were joint. I also was looking for a course that had a placement year or term so I could get some real work experience – whether it was working in a school, educational spaces or supporting an educational research paper.
What did you love most about studying at the School of Education?
I would say the best part about studying at the School of Education was meeting lifelong friends. I also learnt from some amazing lecturers who will continue to impact me for the rest of my life. Something I didn’t expect to learn about in the course was social justice, decolonisation and how education differs in a global context. The units I enjoyed the most were Language, Literacies and Identities, Education Viewed from the Global South and Globalisation and Education. This sparked my passion for equality, diversity and inclusion and I pursued joining the EDI Committee within the School of Education and becoming the course rep for my penultimate and final academic years.
How did your time at the School of Education help with your career or further education?
I got involved in the Bristol Plus Award, Professional Liaison Network: Education Mentoring Scheme and the International Mentoring Scheme. I completed a summer internship working closely with Dr. Wenham on a pilot study to investigate the benefits of forest school education for excluded teenagers in the United Kingdom. Although it was online due to Covid, I gained so much from that experience because I went through the entire research process from identifying research gaps to the formulation and execution of qualitative data collection and analysis – which was so useful prior to conducting my own research for my dissertation.
What have you been up to since graduating from the School of Education? Do you have any career goals you’re looking to pursue further now?
Since graduating I’ve been working in start-ups in the tech industry. I’ve been pursuing a career in sales however the companies I’ve been working at have been in one way or another focused on EDI and or within educational spaces. It was not a career I thought I would end up in having pursued education but it goes to show where the skills you gain during your time at university can take you!
Finally, do you have any advice or tips for people who are thinking about joining the School of Education?
I made a video for the School of Education as I was nearing the end of my time at University. In that video my advice was focused on trying to take advantage of the different professional liaison networks, student union groups and support from your professors – I tried to go to almost every drop in session and ensure I had a very clear understanding of each assignment and what it required. My second biggest piece of advice prior to joining would be to do your own research. If you are reading this you are already doing the right thing but reach out to people like myself or others on places like LinkedIn and ask their experiences and thoughts if you’re overseas. If you live in the country or have the means to travel beforehand, try and visit Bristol too and see the city as well for one of their open days.
Thanks for catching up with us Ahanah! We can’t wait to see what you achieve next.
Find out more about our undergraduate programmes:
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2025/education/
