Recent MA graduate wins 5 year funded PhD at Harvard

Why did you choose the MA in Education, Policy & Society?

I pursued the MA course because I loved the field of education and wanted to stay involved and contribute to the field somehow. However, I knew I didn’t want to be a teacher anymore. I think when people hear education, the go-to profession is teaching, but I felt surely there was more out there. I had seen so much inequality in the space. So, I chose the MA in Education, Policy, and Society for its combined focus on education policy and social justice, to learn more about theory and policy and the overall impact I could make.

What did you enjoy most about the MA?

I enjoyed the seminars; they were insightful. The lecturers were great and there were so many exciting students from different backgrounds, making great conversation each week. I came away from each week feeling like I had learned something new or, at the very least, heard a different perspective.

How did the MA help you to pursue a PhD?

I had the chance to be a research assistant for Dr Emma Towers and Dr Milli, which I had never done before. So, the MA gave me all these new experiences that helped me connect the dots regarding the next step. I was like, oh, I like research!! Then, once I realised a PhD was something I was interested in my tutor, Dr Tania de St Croix, was so supportive. Honestly, Tania, Emma and Meg were godsends! Applying to US schools was a completely new process, but they all helped me somehow. Reading my application essays, giving me tips and feedback, connecting me with people and even providing emotional support, which I very much needed as it was a long and tiresome process, around 5-6 months of consistent work on applying.

What will your PhD thesis be on?

My PhD thesis is still nebulous and evolving. Still, I am very interested in documenting and archiving the history of Black British Education. As a Black British teacher, it would be great to reflect on our efforts in the field as both celebratory and a means to speak to larger sociological questions I’m interested in, but that’s all to be fleshed out.

What are you most excited about as you enter into the PhD?

In terms of what I’m most excited about, it’s just the new challenge and the opportunity to meet and collaborate with so many new scholars - even from a diasporic angle, it will be interesting to draw parallels between my experience as a Black Brit in education and that of other Black diasporans. I’m also very excited to experience a new city and culture. I’ve lived in London all my life, even for my studies, so it will be refreshing to have a new backdrop and see how it inspires me.

Esther currently works in Widening Participation at SOAS University. Before the MA she worked as a secondary school History teacher.