School of Social and Political Science

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Why did you choose your programme? Why the University of Edinburgh? 

Social work is something I've always been passionate about and practised in India for over 8 years. During school and undergrad in India I always had leadership positions in social work clubs, and took on organising activities such as teaching, blood donation camps, slum camps and summer camps for kids. My driving force has always been to make change in whatever capacity I can. I've never had the attitude that I can fix problems or people - it's always been about walking that mile with them and supporting them in whatever way I can. My work also helped me realise there are issues I am strongly passionate about. Women’s empowerment and female education are personal passion topics, especially being an Indian woman who’s had the opportunity to pursue her dreams and education. I now want to help others broaden their horizons - the Master of Social Work was a formal step in solidifying my passion and doing something more with it.

I looked at a lot of places to do my masters, and something that stuck with me about the programme at Edinburgh was the opportunity to do two placements. I’d never visited Edinburgh before I came for my masters, but it seemed a really good fit given the pace of the city and its diverse community. I had the opportunity to meet the International Recruitment Manager for South Asia, who connects with South Asian students for the University, and our conversations steered me towards my decision. I liked how the courses were structured, and what the modules looked like. Everything seemed to be a good fit for me.

How did you get to where you are?

I did my masters placements in 2023. My first placement was at a residential care home for young adults, supporting them with appointments, grocery runs and activities. My second placement was with the homelessness charity Street Work, working with adults, so an entirely different experience. At the residential care home, the kids had had adverse childhood experiences but were now in a relatively safe space. In residential care homes there's legal order, meaning there’s a binding on social workers to get children to engage. At Street Work, there was no legal order to compel adults to work with you - it was based on their choice and willingness to engage. It was more hands on, and there were things not taught formally in classrooms that I had to pick up on. Both placements were very different experiences, with lots of takeaways. I now work in a statutory set up, but those non-statutory placements led to so many networking opportunities that I’m still using at work today.

I started working in children and families with City of Edinburgh Council in August 2023, and I absolutely love it. I don't think there's any other sector of social work I would want to do. I'm not going to sugarcoat it and say it's an easy sector to work in, but what I love about it is that every day is different. I've been able to work with children at very different ages and stages of their lives, and I’ve really enjoyed the range. It gives me the opportunity to build relationships with them - I get to see that transformation from when they’re refusing to engage or interact with you, to them looking at you as that safe person and wanting to know when they're seeing you next. A lot of the work is also about being able to connect with families as well. I do loads of work around parenting and it's opened opportunities for work around mental health, substance misuse, domestic abuse, adverse childhood experiences, trauma, relationship difficulties, housing poverty, homelessness and immigration. Children and families has given me a holistic understanding and experience of social work - it’s been insightful and humbling, as well as rewarding when it leads to positive outcomes.

It's also been interesting doing this job as a person of colour and as a young female. It's that triple whammy of being young, female and a person of colour when you sit in meetings or when you interact with families and professionals - how that works, where that leads, how receptive or biased they are, or the prejudices that they hold. It's been really interesting to observe that angle and look at the intersectionality of it all. 

How have you used the knowledge and skills gained from your time at Edinburgh in your career journey? What did you gain from your time at the University?

Any sort of practice or intervention that we take on is always underpinned by certain theories and tenets we picked up during social worker training. For me, relationship-based practice has been a big one, and intersectionality another. Working in children and families, a lot of it is steeped in legislation, so the law is always at the back of our minds as well. We're constantly trying to link policy - like The Promise - to our practice and the needs of a child, and making sure it always comes back to their welfare, development and growth. That's the connection between classroom learning to how we're now implementing and actioning it. We've learned the theory, but in our jobs we're putting it into practice.

What 3 words describe your time studying at the School of Social and Political Science?

Gratifying, satisfying and surreal. 

I’ve been able to formalise my passions through my degree in Social Work. It's also given me the opportunity to constantly compare and contrast my experiences in India and the UK, which I continue to do in my job. It's only intensified my hunger and passion for this job and sector, and given me more clarity about what I want to do in the future. 

What is your favourite memory from your time studying at the University of Edinburgh (or SPS)? 

There are a few! One was writing our dissertations. As we were studying during COVID, we didn't have many opportunities to meet peers and friends regularly. By dissertation season we could come together and would camp out on the sofas outside the SPS Social Work offices to work. Our professors were really kind - they would drop food off for us, come and check in with us, and give us words of motivation to boost us through the process. It was nice to be able to do that as a group.

One of the most striking memories is the work I did with the race and racism social work group, a staff-student collaboration in SPS. I was part of the group for two years, and continued doing some work with them after university. It was really gratifying, and we went to Glasgow for a conference where we presented our work. Having that opportunity to talk more openly about anti-racist practice and share experiences, not only as members of the group but also of the community and as social workers - from placements and work settings - and offering people in the audience the space to share their experiences of race and racism in the UK, was really impactful and empowering. For many it was the first time they’d had that safe space to talk about something like this and the impact it had on them. It made me realise at a deeper level that it’s something I'm extremely passionate about, and I'm now considering doing my PhD in the professional experience of race and racism in social work. It’s struck a deep chord in my heart, which I don't think I would have realised had I not been in the UK. 

What advice would you give yourself if you were just starting your academic journey?

When I came for my masters it was almost like starting from scratch because I was moving across continents to a city I had never been to, and to a country I have no family in. The advice I would give myself would just be to put yourself out there, try to enjoy the experiences, and make the most of it. Don't limit yourself to what you think you can or can’t do. Push yourself, talk to people, and have those conversations. Talk about the weather - you don't know where that chat might lead you to! 

From an academic lens, never question yourself. Never think the question you're asking is stupid, because you bring a different experience to the table - you wouldn't be at the University if there wasn't something that made you stand out. While it's offering you an academic opportunity, a degree, and loads more, just know that there’s something you're offering as well. Believe in yourself and go for it.

Written 2025