Tell us about your time at Swansea University
I am the first person in my family to go to university, so it was all a bit of a shock in first year as I did not really know what to expect, and this was partly exaggerated by the outbreak of COVID-19. A few weeks after I moved to Swansea the university shut down and lectures became online.
During my second-year, lockdown was still in force but easing slightly which put myself and my flatmates on a mission to get out and explore the world. We decided to sign up to a Mt. Everest Base Camp trek and raise some money for charity at the same time.
Third year was extremely fun and a noticeable improvement on the previous 2 years, helped partly by the return to campus and in person lectures for all. We had just come back from Nepal and now we were ready to properly kick start Swansea RAG (Raising And Giving). Alongside my studies I wanted to get out and do more things, I started volunteering with the Prison Advice and Care Trust and became a part of Swansea Law Clinics Street Law program. I used to attend court as much as possible, gained legal work experience where I could, and joined the Bar Society. I really got into cycling and getting fit, and I was able to go out and study in more places because lockdowns and restrictions had ended. Overall, university was difficult, tough, and relentless but I wouldn’t change it for anything.
What are your top 3 favourite things about Swansea?
1) I really love Swansea’s Beach. Its beautiful. It expands all the way from one end of the bay to the other and on a good day you can walk the entire beach. Swansea beach has a place for everyone up by the sand dunes where it is quiet, or down by the steps where you can sit, not be disturbed but don’t fancy getting sand in your shoes, or down by the secret bar where you can have a bit more of a party and play sports games. There is a little piece for everyone.
2) The second thing I love about Swansea is that it is an ever-changing small city, you could probably walk from one end of Swansea ‘town’ to the other in about 30 minutes. As a person from a small town, Swansea it an easy step up. You still have the forests and beaches around and you have Mumbles down the bay, it’s a place that is not too over stimulating but it has the lovely hum of the hustle and bustle.
3) The third thing favourite thing about Swansea is the walks and outdoor activities. All around Swansea there are woodland trails and paths from Singleton Park, Kilvey Hill, the Marina to Clyne Gardens. There are some fantastic spots around that are wonderful walks and places to explore. If you have a kayak or a paddle board the River Tawe or Mumbles jetty are perfect places to get in water sports or if you fancy a longer walk to see seals and dolphins, you could take a drive out to Rhossili Bay. Overall Swansea has a lot to offer, you just need to explore it.
Why did you choose to study at Swansea?
I chose to study in Swansea because it was far enough from home that it would feel new and different but if I wanted to go home, I wouldn’t have to drive miles and miles to get there. I wanted to stay in Wales and considering that Swansea University had the best law school it was a no brainer. As I am the first person in my family to go to university, I felt a sort of imposter syndrome and it took me some time to realise that I can go to university and the welcome I received from Swansea put my fears at ease.
Tell us what you’re doing now and about your plans now you’ve graduated
I decided after university to take a gap year where I would look for work and travel. Currently, I am applying for Paralegal/legal assistant roles to further my legal career and I have an aim to do a post graduate degree in the future. However, I have not decided on an LPC/SQE or the Bar. I have been doing some mini-pupillages with the likes of 3 Pump Court Chambers and Linenhall Chambers and have attended work experience with Evans Hayes Brunell solicitors so I am keeping my options open. My aim is to get stuck into the legal field and gain some experience and earn money.
Tell us about your charity work (including resurrecting and leading the Raising and Giving Society (RAG)) and why it’s so important to you.
We started RAG around April 2022. We also needed to work out our structure from our two arms charity work and community work; these consisted of our challenges such as hiking up to Mt. Everest Base Camp, Driving from the UK to Dubrovnik, hiking the Peaks of the Balkans and building playgrounds in Uganda for disadvantaged children, to our beach cleans and natural disaster relief programmes. Our goal was to be the best student fundraising group and our vision was to grow through challenge, achieve through change, and change through charity.
Within two years Swansea RAG became a nationally recognised and multi-award-winning student society which has secured and helped raise a staggering £156,248,13 for charity whilst sending over 80 students on life changing trips and treks and has been shortlisted for best local impact of the year and student fundraising group of the year. In 2023 we were invited to the Welsh Senedd in Cardiff for Marie Curie’s daffodil launch night. However, what we didn’t realise was that there was an awards ceremony, in which we had been unknowingly nominated. We were surprisingly called up and presented an award for Most Outstanding Charitable Contributions to Wales
