I come from a family where nobody had been to university before me so it wasn’t a given that I would go. However, I did well in school especially in maths and physics and I was also good at art so my teachers and parents encouraged me to apply.
When I left school I went to straight to university. I didn’t know what I wanted to do so I ended up studying Architectural Design as it was a mix of creativity and engineering. I didn’t enjoy the course and transferred after first year to study Architectural History instead. I really enjoyed learning, but I knew I was going to struggle to find a relevant job in a related field.
After graduating I got a job working on an architectural archive which I really loved, but I could see I was destined to do project work on short term contracts. So I decided to do a PhD instead. I applied to the Trust and they accepted me. I finished by PhD in 2015 and I’ve been working as a researcher and lecturer ever since.
Without the grant I know I wouldn’t have been able to complete my PhD and find my dream job in academia. I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to spend time studying something that I love and now teaching other students and researching it.
