'I feel really fortunate' – careers event builds insight for first-generation students
A live podcasting event featuring panellists who were the first in their family to go to university gave English students a taste of the working world on 12 February.
Left to right: Annabel McLeod, Ashleigh Wheeler, Dr Daniel Oliver, Carinya Sharples and Paris Singh at the First-Gen Futures podcast event on 12 February. (Image: Sarah McLaughlin)
Hosted by the Department of English, First-Gen Futures is a special careers event designed to support those who are the first generation in their family to attend university.
The panel presented to students on how they started their careers and the different paths they took to get where they are today. The panellists were:
Annabel McLeod, a multi-award-winning (BAFTA, Broadcast Digital, BIMA, Lovies, RTS) and Emmy-nominated Digital Executive Producer in the TV industry.
Carinya Sharples, creative and travel writer, journalist and editor, who was longlisted for the 2021 Mslexia Short Story Competition. Carinya is now studying for a PhD in literature at the University of Leicester.
Ashleigh Wheeler, Executive Director of The Yard Theatre, who has delivered of some of the Yard’s most critically successful productions and festivals.
The event was chaired by Paris Singh, an undergraduate student on the English BA and careers officer in the KCL English Society.
Paris Singh asks the panellists about their career journeys to date. (Image: Sarah McLaughlin)
These events highlight that a career is a journey rather than a fixed destination. Hearing from professionals who have taken similar paths is an invaluable experience. These panels reassure students that everyone starts somewhere while providing guidance, motivation, and inspiration. I am grateful that, as the careers officer, I can support students in navigating their career paths while also building personal connections with professionals.
Paris Singh, English undergraduate student and careers officer in the English Society
This event celebrated the successes and strengths of professionals across the cultural sector who all belonged to the first generation in their family to go to university. Our hope was that the event would debunk the myth that fancy schools and parents with “contacts” are what you need for a career in the arts, and for us all to get a better understanding of how FirstGen students can thrive at King’s and beyond.
Dr Ella Parry-Davies, Lecturer in Theatre, Performance and Critical Theory
Paris asked the panellists to describe an average working day, the biggest challenges and most memorable moments they’ve faced in their careers, and how they would define a successful career. Impact was a key factor in measuring success for most of the panel, who mentioned that the biggest highlights were not always the ones they expected to feel the most proud of.
The fact I got to go to uni and get to do a job where I feel challenged creatively and intellectually – that wasn’t something that I thought a job could be. A job wasn’t something that could fulfil you or fill your life with amazing people, so I do feel really fortunate most days.
Ashleigh Wheeler
My 17-year-old self is my main barometer of success... The fact that I can still check in with that 17-year-old and say, “I'm still doing performance” feels really good.
Dr Daniel Oliver
Paris also probed the panel on how to manage imposter syndrome, which can be a challenge for people at all stages of their professional lives. Watch their answers to this question in the video below.
You’re gonna go into spaces and there's gonna be people who have got a connection because their uncle works there. Your job is to look around, work out who the power players are, work really well with the people you're around, and try to find a way to make yourself indispensable.
Annabel McLeod
If you’re not in spaces where you feel a little bit out of your depth, and you're in listening mode and really trying to understand the wavelength that everyone else is on, you’re not pushing yourself that much... I see it as if I feel scared, I’m probably also learning.
Ashleigh Wheeler
Students at the recording took part in a Q&A, asking how the panellists apply learning from their degrees at work and whether they feel they have to compromise on their creative or political values in corporate spaces. They were keen to gather tips for entering journalism and pitching effectively, such as succinct communication.
If you’re enthusiastic about everything, people will want to give you more things to do.
Carinya Sharples
Watch the full podcast recording in the video below.
