{"id":2688,"date":"2022-05-05T16:20:59","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T16:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/paris-news\/?p=2688"},"modified":"2022-05-05T16:21:06","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T16:21:06","slug":"graduate-profile-communications-professional-laura-cunliffe-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/paris-news\/2022\/05\/05\/graduate-profile-communications-professional-laura-cunliffe-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"Graduate Profile: Communications Professional Laura Cunliffe-Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this edition of our Alumni Spotlight series we meet <\/span>Laura Cunliffe-Hall. A graduate of our former English and American Literature programme, Laura’s experiences at our Paris School have helped her forge a wonderful career in communications and public affairs. Discover how her time in Paris, and the art of the flaneur<\/em>, was transformative for her in this recent interview.<\/p>\n

Where are you from and what originally brought you to Paris?<\/h3>\n

I\u2019m a Kent local, I grew up and went to school in Dover, before moving away to the Midlands\/Warwickshire to do my undergrad at the University of Warwick.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d spent many good times in Canterbury and was impressed by the University of Kent\u2019s reputation, particularly for student satisfaction \u2013 but it was the opportunity to study English and American Literature abroad for a term in Paris that made it the location of choice for my Master\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d studied French at A Level and loved it \u2013 plus being in Dover, it was closer to get to France than to London! I\u2019d also always wanted to live in France and particularly in the beautiful city of Paris \u2013 therefore, the stars aligned when I found the English and American Literature PSAC course!<\/p>\n

What attracted you most about studying at PSAC?<\/h3>\n

PSAC is a very special place \u2013 it was the opportunity of a lifetime to get to study there. The course provided an in-depth overview of Modernism in Paris \u2013 focusing on legendary authors such as Jean Rhys and Gertrude Stein, alongside examining the experience of cultural diaspora in France. We could also continue learning and improving on our written and spoken French through language classes. The teaching staff were incredibly helpful and experts in their field.<\/p>\n

In addition to this, we could contextualise our studies through visiting the many incredible galleries and museums across Paris (often for free or at very cheap student rates) which brought what we were learning to life so much more vividly.<\/p>\n

Moreover, Reid Hall is a stunning building with great facilities and a beautiful garden \u2013 ideally located. It was also exciting to be able to use it as a base and meet students from Columbia University and all over the world.<\/p>\n

\"Study<\/p>\n

What were some of the highlights of your experience?<\/h3>\n

Spending my days in the Palais du Tokyo, Musee de Picasso, l\u2019Orangerie and Musee d\u2019Orsay to name but a few! I\u2019ve never felt as culturally enriched as I have in my time in Paris \u2013 a truly unique city to learn from and understand the world around you.<\/p>\n

Inspired by the idea of being a flaneur<\/em>, I also have fond memories of experiencing the city on foot in all weathers \u2013 taking in the beautiful sights by the Seine. We had a fantastic tight-knit group of expats from all over the world that hung out together and always had some memorable outings to bars and clubs \u2013 spending my 22nd birthday partying at Point Eph\u00e9m\u00e8re and a few wild jazz nights in Montmartre are some slightly foggy but still treasured memories! Meeting some fantastic friends I have for life and living with my flatmate Rosa (now a Dr and Creative Writing lecturer at the University of Kent) in Barb\u00e8s also helped shape what was an incredible life experience at PSAC.<\/p>\n

What are you currently doing and how did that come about?<\/h3>\n

I\u2019m currently working in communications and public affairs, specialising in the development of sustainable economic and social infrastructure as a Senior Account Manager at Copper Consultancy. I\u2019ll be moving on to focus on policy and public affairs in Westminster later this year, in my new role as a Policy Manager at the Institution of Civil Engineers. Alongside this, I\u2019m the Chair of the Young Fabians<\/a> and the Social and Digital Media Lead for Labour in Communications<\/a>, running a mentoring programme for people entering politics from disadvantaged or under-represented backgrounds called IMPACT.<\/p>\n

Strong communications is essential in politics, and working closely with communities reminds me constantly of the power of using your voice and standing up for what you believe in. Being a Young Fabian is all about being able to share ideas and work together in an inclusive, non-factional and vibrant environment. I\u2019d strongly recommend anyone interested in left-wing politics and policy to join us<\/a>! As Chair, my focus is on empowering and supporting our members as we focus on our theme of the year \u2013 \u2018What does a Labour Britain look like for young people<\/strong>\u2019.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d always been fascinated by the interconnection between Literature and politics and wrote my dissertation on the performativity of Jacobean power in Shakespeare\u2019s Measure for Measure and Coriolanus. Therefore, combining my love of politics and writing through public affairs, policy and communications was the natural next step.<\/p>\n

A month after graduating, I applied for a temporary job as a Junior Account Executive at Copper \u2013 moved to London and started my post Paris chapter!<\/p>\n

Top tip<\/strong> \u2013 I found my jobs through a very useful website called www.w4mpjobs.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Do you think that your studies at PSAC helped with your career or creative endeavors?<\/h3>\n

Absolutely. Social and digital media are key aspects of my career \u2013 and acting as the Social Media Manager and Co-Organiser of our 2017 \u2018Boundaries\u2019 Conference in Paris was an important training experience from a communications and stakeholder management perspective.<\/p>\n

Likewise meeting so many different people, each with a unique story, particularly in the aftermath of a Brexit vote that had been so divisive, was extremely helpful in reminding me why politics is so essential and gave me the confidence to use my voice and get involved.<\/p>\n

Would you recommend PSAC to potential students and if so what would you tell them?<\/h3>\n

Always \u2013 PSAC was the time of my life and I miss it very much!<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll meet friends for life and expand your intellectual horizons in a stunning historically and culturally significant city (just stay away from the one euro wine you can buy opposite Rue Poulet!) So many fond memories of my time there \u2013 take a chance on Paris, you won\u2019t regret it!<\/p>\n

Merci beaucoup, Laura!<\/em><\/h3>\n

If you would like to get in touch with Laura, you can follow her on Twitter @LauraHall1995<\/a>, connect with her on LinkedIn<\/a> or check out our work at here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this edition of our Alumni Spotlight series we meet Laura Cunliffe-Hall. A graduate of our former English and American Literature programme, Laura’s experiences at our Paris School have helped her forge a wonderful career in communications and public affairs. Discover how her time in Paris, and the art of the flaneur, was transformative for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74581,"featured_media":2691,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[172984,124],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/paris-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2688"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/paris-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/paris-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/paris-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74581"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/paris-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2688"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/paris-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2688\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2694,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/paris-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2688\/revisions\/2694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/paris-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/paris-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/paris-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/paris-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}