I think picking up on a point
that you said about the diversity amongst teaching staff, you've got those
who are at the top of their game in research, but also those
who are at the top, their game in practice.
I don't think you get that sort of experience anywhere else really.
There's two aspects to this.
I'd say there's the community side and there's the, the opportunities side.
So community side, and obviously, you know, I'd love to hear
from all of you for your experiences on this too.
But I think because we're a medium sized law school, it means that we're kind of,
well, large enough in terms of the staff size to be able to offer
a kind of a really interesting and diverse range of options and different sort of
areas of expertise and backgrounds to bring to the curriculum.
Whether that sort of wholly academic, with a blend of academic and practitioner
or, you know, until now purely practitioner based approaches.
And I think also
on the flip side of that, we have a really diverse student body
from across the UK, from around the world,
from students enrolled at 18 or 19 from college.
It allows for a real sense of getting to know individual students.
See, you know, you're not simply just a name or student number
on a screen or a piece of paper, but you're actually someone who,
you know, we've developed a relationship with, a professional relationship
across the three or four years of your undergraduate study.
So we can get to know, you know, how you've developed
not just a student, as a person.
And we've also had, you know, particularly in the last few years as well,
we've had a lot of kind of energising change in the school.
You know, we have relocated in a beautiful suite of buildings over in
Esk, Derwent and Wharf buildings, in our new faculty; Business, Law and Politics
where we've got two mock courtrooms, one that's kind of criminal law focus,
one that's focused on sort of family and civil law proceedings.
We've got some study space for law students.
I think there's a real sense of identity now for the law school
in that area of campus, of the campus and, of course, the campus as a whole.
Here, you know, at the University of Hull, the furthest
you have to travel from one part to another is, what, five minute walk?
I would say, you know, from the furthest part,
the west side to the east side, it's not like
you're going to have to get on a bus or a tram or train or what
have you to get to a lecture.
So I think it's it's easy to find your way around.
It's a picturesque, attractive campus.
You you've got student accommodation on site as well.
And I think, you know, it sort of it
highlights that relationship between opportunity and community.
And the other thing is, of course, as we've, we've already talked about
the careers advice as well from a dedicated Law Careers Officer.
We've got the Centre
for Professional Success, which I think has helped to sustain
relationships with law graduates, to provide mentoring opportunities.
I think you were involved in that Jade
sort of in a mentoring undergraduates in previous years.
So, yeah, I mean, I could go on and on, but I think I'll stop there.
So don't take up too much of the conversation.
But yeah.
I think picking up on a point that you said about the diversity amongst
teaching staff, you've got those
who are at the top of their game in research, but also those
who are at the top of their game in practice.
And so you were a practicing prosecutor for a number of years.
And then have come to give the practical element
of your experience back and teach it in criminal law,
but then that's also flipped those people that no doubt support
you from an academic research perspective as well.
And I think for me when I was here,
both of those
sources of information
I don't think
you get that sort of experience anywhere else really.
I think one of the key things that people say about Hull is that it's
friendly and I think the community link is is really strong.
The first time I came to this university was through like a schools programme,
so it was probably in this room.
I'm at secondary school where I came to an event
and then I studied here and then I worked in local practice,
maintained links with the university, and now I'm back again.
But having said that, when I did my master's course, I had
friends who were from Nigeria, Libya, you know, all over the country.
So I think it's a really nice mix of that friendly community and also diversity.
I don't know if you found that as well. Yes.
I graduated last year, but I really think university
is where I excelled, and really was able to come kind of terms with myself as well.
But for a bit of light
and shade for the past few months, I was quite... I didn't get the A-levels
I particularly wanted, so I was quite upset.
I didn't get into my first choice university
and I thought that was a hindrance.
I didn't get bad grades, I got BBC, but
it wasn't the grades that university required
and it just made me think, well, should I be on the law course?
Am I capable of it?
And I was quite kind of down on myself.
I wasn't really involving myself in having that university experience.
And it got to, I think, December time and I was like, I need to kind of make
the experience my experience, I need to make it a positive experience.
And I got involved in my first year in the competitions, and I had no previous
law experience but the society was like, you don't need experience,
just give it a go.
And I actually won the competition, won work experience,
and then the university supported me to compete nationally
as well, where I think we came third place overall.
And it was then I was like, I am capable of doing this.
And I started to really enjoy and participate more as well.
It's little things where there's discussions.
I was like, okay, I'm going to participate in this.
I've got an opinion,
I'm going to participate in the seminar, or if you're in a lecture and
the lecture asked a question and I have a take or I have a view,
it's just being confident enough to raise your hand and get involved.
And as soon as I started to do that, my experience changed so dramatically,
I made a lot more friends through the society,
I started to kind of enjoy, I had opinions, having those discussions.
And through that, I was achieving more academically.
But also the university isn't just academics.
It's about making friends
kind of growing in confidence as well, which has helped me in my career.
And then by the end of that, I did get my first class degree.
And also the university celebrates the students
who get the top grade in a module.
I don't know if I still do that, but
I saw someone get one of their certificates and I said,
I want one of those.
I don't want to finish my experience without one of those.
So in third year I strived to get one and I eventually did.
So when it came through, I was ecstatic.
I was running around the house with this,
saying I got the top grade in this module.
At the same time, it's about making your experience, your experience.
If you want a positive experience, kind of, you are the creator of that.
So it was getting involved, having a go at things that you may not
have had a go at. There’s so many different societies as well.
Not just you have to do your subject society,
but ask questions, get involved, go when they have the society
open days and things like that, you can make it a positive experience.