Reflection on my degree

News - Oct 18

Georgia graduated this Summer and she shares with us her experience and the benefits of being active in the Old Colytonian Society network:

"I began my studies at Durham University in Autumn 2018. The world changed hugely over my three years at university and I ended up sitting the majority of my final year at home, handing in my final exams and my dissertation from my bedroom.

I am so pleased to have graduated with First Class Honours from my BA History course. I am especially proud to have achieved a First in my dissertation which researched queer invisibility in Imperial Russian poetry and literature. Throughout my studies I specialised in Russian history, specifically the Soviet period, studying visual culture and literature with a particular interest in gender and sexuality. I found studying History at Durham very rewarding. Specialising in Russian history for both my dissertation and my final year project allowed me to gain a huge breadth and depth of knowledge – I studied everything from official party speeches to the Soviet soaps of the 1970s.

Alongside my studies I was heavily involved in the Durham University Charity Fashion Show (DUCFS) which in my first year as a volunteer raised £150,000 for the Environmental Justice Foundation. In my second year, I was Womenswear Director when the show raised an enormous £171,000 for Fashion Revolution and Stop the Traffik. My final year role looked very different as the show had to adapt to the new Covid-19 world. As Head of Fashion I oversaw all the garments featured in the show and we managed to raise £55,000 for Create. Through my work with DUCFS I was able to make valuable contacts within the fashion industry and I gained an internship with fashion-tech start-up company Save Your Wardrobe, something I undertook alongside my studies. It was through this role that I was given my current job as a Digital Marketing Assistant for the company.

In my final year I was able to do hugely valuable work experience with Fashion Revolution alongside my degree. Carry Somers the co-founder was a fellow Colytonian and I was able to be introduced through the Old Colytonian Network.

I made sure to get involved in as many extra-curricular pursuits as possible alongside my studies which is how I ended up securing my current position which I am really enjoying. My advice to anyone heading to university is to join societies, volunteer on committees, submit your essays to journals – these things will end up being just as rewarding (if not more so) than your degree!"