Emily's story
I love that I can apply my passion and perspectives to an industry where I’m encouraged to run with new ideas.”
emily albon
Business and Management Studies with a Professional Placement Year BSc
“My interest in business and management began when I was in college. I wanted to study a subject that was fairly flexible and could lead me in different directions as my interests developed. I’m local to Brighton, so I was really pleased when I discovered that Sussex offered a Business and Management Studies BSc course with a professional placement year. I was also impressed by the Business School as they offered an interesting curriculum and supported you to build the professional skills you need further down the line.
I really enjoyed my student experience - I met so many wonderful people, and campus is such a lovely place to be. I’ve always had a bit of a green thumb, and my time at Sussex helped me grow my love for plants: I was able to take part in the Roots Community Garden and the Gardening Society, and I was also on the Committee for the Food Waste Cafe. These activities also contributed to my Spirit of Sussex Award, and I graduated with a Gold, which was a real bonus.
I always knew that I wanted to pursue a professional placement, and the Careers and Entrepreneurship team were so helpful in explaining the options available to me. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to work in a smaller, more hands-on organisation or whether I wanted to explore the corporate world, but the team encouraged me to use the year as an opportunity to experiment.
They helped all of us throughout the application process, checking our CVs and holding practice assessment centres. Their advice helped me to secure a role as a Communications and Sustainability Assistant at Unilever, where I focused on areas such as copywriting and social content creation. I was also chosen to lead the global employee photography competition, which gave me experience in internal communications.
When I returned to Sussex, my interest in sustainability continued to grow, and eventually became the focus of my dissertation on global consumption. I decided to take part in the Summer Consultancy project as it provided a fun insight into the world of ‘green jobs’, which led to me securing a 10-week internship with SOENECS - an independent research and innovation practice who then offered me a position following graduation. I worked there for a year, where I focused on research projects that helped me learn skills ranging from life cycle assessments to carbon accounting.
I’m still in touch with the Careers and Entrepreneurship team, who continued to support me throughout my career milestones. Recently, I began a new position as a Sustainability Analyst at Oliver Bonas, and my Careers Adviser gave me so much good advice around navigating that transition. They also invited me to speak at a recent Green Futures event for current Sussex students, which has continued to build my confidence.
My new role is centred around building environmental strategy. Every day, I get to use my carbon accounting experience to figure out the carbon footprint of a huge retail chain. I love that I can apply my passion and perspectives to an industry where I’m encouraged to run with new ideas.
My time at Sussex has helped me to try new things and test things out - a trial run before I’d even graduated. Moving forward into my first graduate roles has felt much less scary with so much experience behind me. I’m grateful for having been offered so many opportunities that have supported my career every step of the way.”