Freya is a graduate from the International Business with a Modern Language (MIBML) programme

Tell us a little bit about your background...

I attended Strathclyde between 2015 and 2020 and I studied an integrated Masters in International Business and Modern Languages (Economics and French).

I graduated in the middle of the pandemic when all graduate schemes were closing or not running. I ended up starting my own charity during Covid which led to me winning Young Scot of the Year in the Community category. I started working for Outside the Box in 2020, first as a Project Worker, then Community Worker and now as a Community Development Adviser. I wouldn’t have been able to get into working in the Third Sector without the placement experiences and skills I developed at Strathclyde.

I worked for a Member of Parliament from 2021 until 2024 as a Caseworker, working in my local area assisting constituents with their issues. Our office won Parliamentary Office of the Year in 2021 and in 2023 I was shortlisted in the final 5 for Caseworker of the Year.

Why did you choose to study at the University of Strathclyde?

I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I left school and the course options at Strathclyde, pairing languages with something else, seemed the best choice. I applied for IBML as I would end my degree with a Masters, instead of a Bachelors, and better job prospectives. I felt that being able to study multiple different subjects over the degree would be really beneficial.

Tell us about your experience on the year abroad and how it contributed to your studies...

I was lucky enough to get to spend my year abroad in Lyon, France. I spent the first semester at Ecole de Management Lyon and second semester at Lyon 3 Jean Moulin. I studied various subjects in the French language from European Economics to the History of Fine Art. The year abroad was fantastic, I learnt so many new things, met some amazing lifelong friends and was afforded the opportunity to travel around France and Spain during the university breaks. The year abroad was a great chance to practice the language, totally immerse in the culture and find out what it is actually like to live in France. The year abroad was tough, but it really helped to improve my language skills and learn a lot more ‘day to day’ and spoken French.

What is the academic support at Strathclyde like?

I feel like the academic support was Strathclyde was good, I think this was helped by the smaller class sizes so you could get to know the tutors better.

What are the facilities at Strathclyde like?

I graduated just before the new student union was built, and it looks and feels like a really great place to come together with classmates. I feel like I really benefited from my course taking place in buildings across the campus.

What are you doing now?

I now work part time with Outside the Box, a Scottish human rights and equalities charity, focussing on projects supporting New Scots and Asylum Seekers. I also work part time with Southside Housing Association in the Community Initiatives Team supporting tenants and the wider community around empowerment and food dignity. A lot of my work is supporting and working with people whose first language is not English. This involves working in creative ways to ensure participation and understanding, which is greatly aided by my background in languages and myself having lived in another country where my language was not the main spoken language. My background in languages has enabled me to develop soft skills and communication skills which have come in extremely handy at both jobs, particularly when supporting New Scots.

The year abroad is always something that is greatly asked about in interviews and good to have in your back pocket for those ‘tell us about a difficult time’, ‘tell us how you’ve dealt with a stressful project/situation’ type questions. A year abroad is difficult, and I think the determination, hard graft and language skills you build upon really help you to stand out from the crowd when going for jobs. You are able to demonstrate how you can handle stressful situations, language barriers and things going wrong.

I feel that employers see languages as a great asset to their staff team, whether that is your skills to be able to help translate, interpret or create resources to make the work more accessible.

What advice would you give to someone considering applying for this course?

My advice would be to really take every opportunity provided by the university, whether that is volunteering opportunities, programmes abroad, extra courses/credits or socials. It can often be scary in first year, with the jump from high school level courses, but the languages degree you will get at the end and the experiences you will have a long the way will be so worth it.