Sarah Bristol-Abbott
Black Studies MA
Before her master鈥檚, Sarah didn鈥檛 think she was destined for success. Studying at BCU has given her the confidence to be her most authentic self and start a business that makes a difference to marginalised communities.
鈥淚 did well in my undergraduate degree but because I didn鈥檛 see myself represented in education or聽senior positions, I thought that was the end of my education journey. I鈥檇 always been told that my skin colour, tattoos and dreadlocks would hold me back and I was afraid of speaking my mind in case people labelled me as 鈥榓ggressive鈥�. I鈥檇 internalised these things about myself, and it made me believe I wasn鈥檛 made for a successful career.
I got a job as a retail manager and enjoyed my job but one of my lecturers from BCU kept in touch and kept telling me that the Postgraduate Black Studies course at BCU was a great opportunity. I had no confidence in my abilities, but the course did sound interesting, so I thought, why not?
As soon as I started the Master鈥檚, I knew that my lecturer had been right, this was where I was meant to be. I became interested in academic research and impact evaluation. I found my niche and focused on black girlhood in my work. All my research led to my Master鈥檚 thesis, which I鈥檓 really proud of. I wrote a report and produced a digital magazine for young black girls, which still circulates in schools today and makes a difference to young black women.
During the master鈥檚, I was also able to take on work experience opportunities like becoming a research assistant. Beforehand, I didn鈥檛 even know that research or data evaluation was a career possibility, but once I was doing it, I knew it was what I was good at.
I was also able to support the planning and delivery of BCU鈥檚 award-winning Black Studies Summer School. We only had five and a half weeks to plan the summer school, but we pulled it off! Students from local schools came to BCU to learn about topics such as black femininity, intersectionality and much more. For me, the summer school was transformational. On the final day of the summer school, all of the students鈥� families came to see the students鈥� work, and the reaction from their loved ones was overwhelming. I felt like I鈥檇 made a difference and I鈥檒l forever remember that moment. It increased my passion for working with marginalised communities and working to give them these opportunities.
These experiences during the degree made me realise that I could make a difference and become the representation that I felt was missing in education when I was young. I鈥檝e used my research and evaluation knowledge to start my consultancy 鈥� SBA Consultancy. 聽After working freelance and building up client relationships, I realised I could do it on my own, but I never would have had the confidence to without studying聽my MA.
In my consultancy, I carry out research, project management and community consultations to amplify the voice of marginalised young people and put them in a decision-making position. The best thing about having my own business is that I鈥檓 able to do the work that is most important to me. I only say yes to clients and projects that I feel will make a difference. Plus, because it鈥檚 my business, I can come as my authentic self and work with clients that fit my ideals.
I鈥檝e been very successful so far, I work with Ipsos, a global market research agency, and I鈥檝e just won contracts to work with Coca-Cola and Mars. Plus, I won the Market Research Society award for best qualitative methods, thanks to the creative methodologies that I experimented with during my master鈥檚 and still use in my work today.
I鈥檒l forever be grateful to BCU and my lecturers for giving me the confidence to make it on my own and provide a voice to underrepresented communities, and for teaching me that I don鈥檛 have to shrink myself down to do so.
To me, 鈥業 am BCU鈥� feels like homecoming because BCU is full of people that helped me succeed and feel championed.鈥�