“It is because of my first visit to Hull, and my subsequent time as a student, that I have decided to settle here. The city and the people welcomed me with open arms, therefore, I want to stay and give back.”

In this article we welcome our new intern, Charlotte Mealings, an alumna who graduated in 2018 and who joins the Alumni Engagement Team for two months. As well as being a great opportunity for Charlotte to build on her CV and gain some great experience, it is also a chance for her to learn more about our alumni, and the things that you are doing.

Below Charlotte tells us about her story so far, how she came to Hull, why she wants to stay in the city and what she hopes to get from the next two months. If you are coming to any of our events in the next few months and you see her – be sure to say hello!

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I came to Hull to study Politics and fell in love with the campus and the city. After growing up in London I was keen to move to a different city to experience a different perspective of England. Hull has definitely proven to be different from London in many great ways.

I first came across the University of Hull when searching for a politics course that would give me the freedom to study what interested me. Hull’s politics department stood out because it gave me that freedom and provided amazing connections to Westminster. I applied and was invited to an applicant day to visit the campus and to get familiar with the department. Through the process of applying to university I had been on several open days and applicant visits, however, when I arrived at Hull I knew it was the place for me. Everyone I met was passionate about Hull and the opportunities it could provide me. The student ambassadors were also passionate about getting to know me; making me feel at home in a short space of time. It is because of my first visit to Hull, and my subsequent time as a student, that I have decided to settle here. The city and the people welcomed me with open arms, therefore, I want to stay and give back.

Currently, I am completing an internship via the careers service in the Development and Alumni Relations Office. The careers service had reached out a month ago offering graduates the chance to gain experience in a job role that would further their career goals. My goal is to enter a career in events and this internship gave me the opportunity to work with the university’s Alumni team on their events and fundraising efforts. The department have been very proactive in ensuring I can get stuck into all areas of their work to get the most out of my eight weeks.

I will be working on preparing and delivering alumni events in the next two months as well as putting together a social media strategy. Understanding how fundraisers build relationships and use their skills to raise money for the university will be a particularly interesting aspect as this is an area I know little about. Therefore, I am hopefully that this internship with such a supportive department will give me a clearer view of what a career in events would be like. I have only been here two weeks and I can already see the impact this will have on my future. Special thanks to the Alumni team for supporting the career of one of their own Alumni, I look forward to the next six weeks.