I have always had an interest in working in journalism or publishing. During my time at CH I worked on The Blue editorial team and my tutor encouraged me and helped me arrange work experience on one of the national newspapers, which gave me a taste of what a career in journalism would be like. After leaving CH I went straight to the University of Bristol to complete a BA. During my time at university I kept up my writing and wrote for the features section of the university newspaper, Epigram. I worked in and out of term time to support myself financially, but by my final year at Bristol I was struggling to both achieve the standards of academic work I wanted and still work the hours needed to support myself. At that point I approached the BSB for financial help and they generously gave me a grant and interest free loan towards supporting myself in my final year.

This meant I could scale back on my term-time job, dedicate more time to my university work and concentrate on achieving a good final grade for my degree. Their help also meant I could afford to participate in an Insight into Media course held by the Arts department at Bristol just prior to my finals, which gave me further information about the career options open to me.

It was only when the BSB’s offer to help arrived that I fully realised how much my financial situation had been worrying me, and the lifting of that pressure at a time when I needed to concentrate on my studies and future career was something I will always be grateful for. I graduated in 2006 with a high 2:1, a result I was thrilled with.

After graduation and some travel I undertook work experience, internships and freelance work with a number of publishing houses, before finally being offered a job with the media company I remain with today. I am now the Asia Pacific Editor for my my company’s flagship magazine, The Superyacht Report, and recently relocated to New Zealand for work. I love my job and am so glad I work in the publishing industry. When I first started working, being able to pay back my loan in small monthly installments was a real help as the repayments were affordable, and I could manage my finances without being overwhelmed. I paid off my loan from the BSB this year, and am now a member of the BSB myself. Thank you so much to the BSB for giving me help in a time when I didn’t have any other options for financial support.