Gavin Fielding graduated in 2016 and now works for a human rights NGO and supports forest communities in South America and uses his skills in English and Spanish as an interpreter.
Why I chose ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ
I liked the campuses, in particular Avenue, and ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ was one of few places that offered combined honours. I was (and still) interested in Hispanic history where I could use Spanish sources whilst improving my skills in the language too. I also felt there would be support for students if it were needed and seemed like more than what the other, larger universities were offering.
My memories of studying languages at ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ
Great memories of the copious amounts of coffee consumed at Avenue campus over conversations with peers. The lecturers were so enthusiastic and worked hard to teach in a relevant and engaging way. And occasionally playing for the Intermilanguages football team.
My year abroad
I spent 13 months in Santiago de Chile studying and working for a human rights NGO. Probably one of the best things I have ever done and have lifelong friends from it. It really was a once in a lifetime and unique opportunity, which was not easy and a challenging year, however, very enriching. It helped me develop a more global perspective and sparked my interest in International Relations.
What I'm doing with my life now
I now work for a human rights NGO for both their project and finance teams. The work is mostly finance based as I work accompanying forest communities in Costa Rica, Colombia and Peru. I was lucky that the NGO needed a Spanish speaking person to support their finance team and since then, I have picked up finance and project management skills alongside working towards an accountancy qualification now.
The skills I picked up at ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ that I use in my professional life
Spanish! I work in both English and Spanish where I translate and interpret while also working closely with partners and colleagues based in Spanish speaking countries. Back in November, I accompanied two indigenous leaders in their advocacy trip to the UK. I was glad I had the skills I learnt during the Public Service Interpreting module in final year to help provide Spanish to English interpretation for events and meetings with Welsh parliamentarians. I also occasionally use research skills in my work too when investigating finance streams that are linked to human rights abuses and deforestation.
