I just graduated!
TL;DR (too long; didn’t read): I just graduated from university, studying some of my favourite topics in the world, and am excited to go on and study for a Masters next!
I truly don’t know how else to word this. I have typed and deleted too many drafts already, so I’m going to have to be brave and just say it:
I just graduated with a First-Class Honours degree in Zoology from the University of Nottingham!
And, as if that wasn't enough (?!), I also ended up with three academic prizes, an Award and a prize related to the Award.
Earning an undergraduate degree (of any classification) has been a 20-year dream that was never guaranteed, so it is taking an extremely long time for this news to sink in, let alone the classification itself and all the unexpected extras!
It has been an incredible journey, though, especially to return to university later in life. A pandemic, surgery, staff strikes... there were a few extra challenges along the way in addition to the usual pressures of studying for a degree! (Hello 4x major deadlines at once!) But this degree allowed me to study topics that I absolutely adore, such as: ecology, conservation, behaviour, evolution and rewilding.
So, what’s next?
My third year project gave me an exciting insight into how I can combine these topics that I’m passionate about from my Zoology degree with previous career skills I love using (coding, data and analytics):
In the project, I used coding in VBA for Excel to extend a complex, individual-level population model of a critically endangered species, the Sinai Baton Blue, the smallest butterfly in the world. This was to explore the potential effects of differing life history strategies (various occurrences of extended diapause) and how this could help or hinder the metapopulation’s survival under projected climate change pressures.
I enjoyed this project so much I have decided to upgrade my data and coding skills by studying for a Masters in Data Science, and am amazed to say I have been accepted to study at the current number one School of Computer Science and overall university in the UK: University of St Andrews (Scotland). My course will be entirely online, so no relocation required, but I am already using this as an excuse to explore Scotland with a stay on a Scottish rewilding estate with my best supporter: my husband, Gary!
My general career plan is simply to follow these passions. There are many options as an ecological data scientist / informatician. Perhaps I'll even find a way to reconnect with my lifelong love of horses by researching wild horses’ ecological impact in rewilding projects. Whatever happens, I know better than to make fixed career plans! There are so many wonderful topics and areas I enjoy and I cannot wait to see where my onward journey takes me.