Suzie Eastman, Connector Alumna

Suzie is a University of Sussex graduate and during her time at the university she completed a degree in Economics, was a Student Connector from the very beginning of the programme and has been invaluable to the development of the Spirit of Sussex Award. She is about to join HSBC as a Data Analyst, and attributes gaining her new role in part to the skills and experience she developed at Sussex.

Suzie has contributed a huge amount of creativity, leadership and energy to the Student Engagement and Enhancement Team, and as she leaves to pursue a new career path we wanted to highlight her story and achievements – read Suzie’s journey in her own words here . . .

“During my final year of university, I applied for the Spirit of Sussex Award Connector role. In all honesty, I didn’t know exactly what a ‘Connector’ or ‘The Spirit of Sussex Award’ was, with it being the first Connector project to kick off the programme and the Award not yet existing. However, it appeared the perfect opportunity for me to expand my skillset and help develop a new initiative at the university. I was pleased that I was successful in the interview and formed one of the eight Spirit of Sussex Award Connectors.

"The perfect opportunity for me to expand my skillset"

My role as a Connector provided the opportunity for me to expand my knowledge and skills, whilst also establishing new skills through various daily tasks which gave me an insight into what a post-university job could entail. My responsibilities included event planning, writing website content, working in a team, attending regular meetings, and recording a radio segment! As someone who has never known what career path I would like to pursue, this role was the perfect opportunity for me to complete an array of tasks which aided in me gaining a better understanding of which areas of work I enjoyed more. For example, I discovered that I enjoyed and thrived when working in a team during event planning, rather than writing website content. One achievement that I am proud of and particularly enjoyed developing is the Spirit of Sussex Award branding. We faced multiple hurdles to ensure the branding was engaging for students and through teamwork and clear communication we ended up with a strong brand for the Spirit of Sussex Award, leaving the team super pleased.

"I knew it would be a great opportunity to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone"

After completing my degree, my role as a Connector was set to come to an end during Summer 2020. My struggle to secure a graduate job combined with the fast development of the pandemic left me uncertain about the near future. I discussed the possibility of extending my time within the Student Engagement and Enhancement team and although I was unsuccessful when applying for the Connector Intern role, I was offered the position of Access and Participation Assistant within the team. During this role I have been able to develop new skills and have new experiences, for example I was offered the chance to manage a new team of Connectors with one of my colleagues. I was nervous about this as it wasn’t something I had ever done before; however I knew it would be a great opportunity to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone. As I was in a leadership position, this was a skill I was able to effectively develop by guiding the Connectors and helping them overcome challenges within their teams, which was a great achievement for me. I have also assisted with the recruitment of new Connector teams, supported the Spirit of Sussex Award management, and worked on evaluation projects. For example, I worked with the Spirit of Sussex Award Connectors to plan for a virtual graduation and ensure the ceremony for students’ receiving their Awards would be special. One of the Connectors and I also worked on evaluating initial feedback on the Spirit of Sussex Award platform, to generate a report including our suggestions for improvements for the award going forwards.

At the end of February 2021, I heard from a graduate role I had applied for a few months back, inviting me to attend an assessment centre. I wanted to gain the experience of the assessment centre and accepted the invitation. Although it was an extremely tough process, I was lucky enough to be offered the role and will be joining HSBC bank as a Data Analyst this summer. Without the experience I have gained and the opportunities I have been offered through my roles as a Student Connector and Access and Participation Assistant, I know that I would not have been successful in securing this graduate role, as I have refined specific skills in these roles, such as confidence and communication.

"Develop an idea of what tasks and responsibilities a job after university could involve"

I have expanded and learnt a vast amount of knowledge and skills through my time working in the Student Engagement and Enhancement team. The Connector jobs are extremely valuable for students as they allow for you to establish and expand on key transferable skills, meet new people, and develop an idea of what tasks and responsibilities a job after university could involve. My own experience demonstrates that you don’t know where these roles can take you as I am entering a completely unrelated field! This shows how the Connector Programme provided a solid foundation to allow me to secure this role. My time in the Student Engagement and Enhancement team has been incredibly enriching and I can’t thank the team enough for helping to set me up for my new role. I’m excited for my next chapter and what the future holds!”

The whole of the Student Engagement and Enhancement Team wants to say a huge thank you to Suzie for everything she has contributed to our department, and wish her all the very best for the future!

Find out how you can develop your skills and prepare for post-university life by participating in The Connector Programme and the Spirit of Sussex Award, by visiting our websites.

Further information: https://student.sussex.ac.uk/experience/connectors