School of Social and Political Science

Content

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

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, my job ended abruptly, as was the case for so many others at the time. I had been working in community health promotion in at a county health centre in the northeastern region of Benin, West Africa. Safety concerns due to the shuttering of global air travel led me having to pack up my things, say my goodbyes to my friends and colleagues and get on a plane back to New York (where I was born and raised). Being unemployed for a few months and trying to find a new job during a global pandemic—this was surprisingly difficult despite being a public health professional—prompted me to reflect on my career path and what was next for me. I felt the logical next step would be to return to university to build on my knowledge and skills. Although I initially explored some Master of Public Health programmes, I remembered a piece of advice I’d received during my undergraduate global health degree from a valued professional mentor. She told me that if I decided to pursue a postgraduate degree, I should look to do something a bit different to expand my knowledge base rather than to stay in the public health lane.

My mentor had recommended social work due to my interest in social behaviour change and the social determinants of health, but, at the time, I ruled this out as I thought social work skills were only applicable to people working within that field. Years later, however, I decided to look more into social work programmes, and realised she was right. What a social work degreed offered seemed to be exactly what I had been looking for in my MPH programmes. So how did I end up at the University of Edinburgh? Having a global perspective is really important to me, as I think there's a lot you can learn from other contexts and cultures. I knew that I wanted to do my social work degree outside the US, and the programme at The University of Edinburgh really spoke to me. I hadn’t even been to the UK before I applied, but something about the University and the city really clicked with what I was looking for both professionally and personally. I took the plunge to come, and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. 

How did you get to where you are?

My academic career started out with a BSc in Global Health from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. It was a unique opportunity to study global public health at the undergraduate level, as this was and still is usually reserved for postgraduate level studies. During my programme, I had the opportunity to do several placements, ranging from supporting local community health promotion campaigns at a community health clinic for under- and uninsured DC residents to working on a more global scale, supporting social behaviour change initiative in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia with FHI360 and regional women’s health programmes with the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo. 

When I graduated, I knew that I wanted to do my initial work in that global context, so I decided to accept a position as a rural community health educator in Benin, where I worked with a community health centre that served a county of about 23,000 people. In this role, I worked in partnership with health staff, community volunteers, and local schools (staff and students) to improve health outcomes, with a focus on maternal and child health and malaria prevention. 

When COVID hit, I ended up back in the States, and I took a short-term job with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA, the state’s public health department) where I helped run their AmeriCorps Vista Project. AmeriCorps is a full-time year of national service—in a range of different fields—that Americans can undertake to give back to support communities across the country. The OHA project was public health oriented, and, as a project manager for the project, I helped support volunteers who were placed either at state or local health departments or third-sector organisations. The experience was great in building my project management skills, but after completing my contract, I felt something was missing. It was from there that I applied to the Master of Social Work, which brought me to Edinburgh!

I now work as a Population Health Project Manager with NHS Lothian's Public Health and Health Policy Directorate on the East Lothian Partnership and Place team. Working in close collaboration with East Lothian Council, health and social care services, third-sector organisations, and local communities, I work to strengthen policy and planning frameworks to embed consideration of the social determinants of health, reduce health inequalities, and promote preventative approaches.  Our work is grounded in the knowledge that population health is influenced by much more than our behaviour and access to quality healthcare. Housing, transport, education, employment and the environment—which are called the social determinants or building blocks of health—all play a big role in shaping our health and wellbeing!

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?

It’s been invaluable. For some, the connection between a master’s in social work and working as a public health professional is not obvious, but the two fields ultimately have the same end goal: we're working towards improving health and well-being for the population that we work with. I am oversimplifying this for the sake of brevity, but social work generally focuses more on crisis intervention, whereas public health is geared more toward prevention and early intervention. I firmly believe these different approaches largely come down to how both fields are resourced, as social workers are often juggling large case loads and limited finances, which make it difficult to take more of a preventative approach at the population level.

My MSW equipped me with a deep understanding of psychosocial and human development theories, strong communication and advocacy skills, and expertise in navigating complex multi-disciplinary cases through reflective, evidence-based, and ethically grounded practice to address health and social inequalities. Drawing on this knowledge and skill set has been invaluable in my day-to-day work—enabling me to deliver policy projects effectively, build and maintain positive professional relationships, and navigate conflicts or differing viewpoints with confidence. My ability to leverage social work approaches within public health has been recognized by my team as a key strength.

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

Rewarding, reflective and life changing. 

First and foremost, my time at the School of Social and Political Science was tremendously rewarding. Being able to learn from lecturers, staff and fellow students who came to Social Work from such a broad range of backgrounds, disciplines and areas of research expertise was amazing. I learned so much in a short two-year period, and also really enjoyed representing my fellow students as an MSW Student Representative for the duration of my programme.

“Reflective” is another one. You can't talk about social work without talking about reflective practice! Being a social work student helped me reflect on myself and my values, as well as what I want out of my career and personal life. It’s embedded a culture of reflection in my day-to-day, which I have carried into my current public health role.

Thirdly—and I acknowledge this probably sounds a bit dramatic and cliché—but “life changing.” After moving frequently, I knew that if I loved Scotland as much as I hoped, I wanted to plant roots—though as an international student, staying wasn’t guaranteed. I fell in love with Edinburgh, its people, places, and culture, and it truly became home. I feel privileged to have found a role that sponsored my visa and gave me the opportunity to stay, because if I hadn’t come for the programme, I don’t know where my life would be today.

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

Rather than one specific memory, my favourite experiences from the MSW program were my student placements. The degree included 170 days of full-time placement to provide practical experience and meet social work qualification requirements. I was fortunate to work with two local organizations: the Grassmarket Community Project and Dean & Cauvin’s Young People’s Trust. Applying classroom learning in real-world settings was phenomenal. I learned so much from the people I supported, and I carry with me many fond memories from my placements. A highlight was a week-long residential trip to the Isle of Mull with Grassmarket with 10 members and a few students from the University from a range of different programmes. Some people hadn’t been outside of Edinburgh before, and being able to see their confidence grow on the trip was amazing. I still volunteer with the Grassmarket Community Project and sometimes see some of the people who were on the trip. To this day, we still share memories from the trip and it’s great to see the joy that comes to people’s faces when they remember things like conquering their fear of heights by abseiling down a cliffside, sailing to the Isle of Staffa to see puffins, or cooking evening meals together. 

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

What I’ve learned early in my career is the importance of staying open-minded. A decade ago, I was a classic “Type A” person. I thought I needed to have a concrete pan for my career, with clear milestones along the way. When COVID disrupted that, it forced me to pause and shift my perspective. I realized that being too narrow in what you think you want can make you miss out on incredible experiences simply because they don’t fit your plan. My advice to anyone starting their academic journey is to embrace different opportunities. If your lecturers send out an email with an interesting work or research opportunity or you see an interesting student group that is bit outside your comfort zone, explore these. You don’t have to (and shouldn’t) say ‘yes’ to everything but try to avoid being too rigid about what you think you want. We grow, evolve, and change—and that’s okay. Some of my best decisions came from being open. If I stuck to my original plan, I would never have moved to Edinburgh, completed my MSW or be working for the NHS. Today, I love my life and the experiences I’ve had, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

Written 2025