After finishing my undergraduate studies in 2015, I decided to take a break from school and worked full-time for my local government for six years to think about what I wanted to do for my postgraduate studies. During this time, I started to understand how pervasive social injustice is in the United States and around the world. This understanding was greatly enhanced with various crises on national and international stages such as the United States federal government’s response to immigration at the Southern Border, immigration crises around the world, the ramifications of climate change, government instability, war, and more recently, COVID-19.
All these crises have made me ask if local, national, and international solutions were available (and if so, what solutions), why such little action continued to be taken, why governments cannot or simply do not effectively work together to seek and implement solutions, and what the roles of local communities and governments, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and national and international governments should be. Because these questions require an interdisciplinary approach that at the very least incorporates sociology, anthropology, history, and politics, I decided to study International Development.
Studying in the UK has been a lifelong dream. I looked at programs all over the country and eventually decided on the University of Sheffield because of my program’s courses as well as the student support. The student support was especially important to me in my postgraduate studies since I was studying internationally.
I have since been impressed with all the opportunities that the University offers to students before beginning their studies (through frequent webinars and one-on-one chats with staff and current students) and during their studies (through volunteer, career, and student engagement opportunities, in addition to student well-being support). My program had a week’s worth of welcome activities that introduced me to the university’s support services, my professors, and courses, and this also helped me make friends quickly and thus settle into life in Sheffield faster than I would have otherwise.
In addition to my program, I am excited to be taking French classes through the University and am still figuring out what other extracurricular activities that I would like to participate in. There is so much to love about Sheffield. So far, my favorite thing about Sheffield is the beauty. Even on rainy days, there is so much beauty to be found in the greenery of the landscape as well as the city’s architecture. Additionally, people here are so kind and helpful, and I have always felt safe.
I do not have any specific plans for when I complete my degree. I love government work and would like to return to that, whether for a local, state, or federal government in the United States or perhaps for the United Nations. I know that I would want to work with policy and/or project management, and that I would like to pursue my PhD at some point. My professors have created an academically rigorous program that prioritizes professional development and exposure to different career options, so with their guidance, I know that I will be prepared for a PhD program and that I will be able to find my career path.
Haley Myers grew up in Idaho and is a current student at University of Sheffield. She is studying a Master’s of Public Health in International Development.
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