Teacher Edward Dubavin (BA English Language and Linguistics, 2020) looks back at his time at Warwick and how it fuelled his passion for research that still continues.

Why did you choose Warwick?
I liked the campus community and the proximity to a big city, without being within one. I was attracted by Warwick's world reputation and high regard within the job market, as well as its research excellence.

What are you doing now?
I’m a teacher at a school in Leeds. I’ve been appointed as Lead Teacher of Maths this academic year.

What motivates you to do what you do?
As a teacher, I enjoy making a difference every day. I love to see that my work has an impact on lives, and I know that I’m adding social value. That is my main motivating factor.

How has your time at Warwick influenced what you do now?
I’m passionate about research and evidence-based methods in a way that I wasn't before my time at Warwick. In teaching, staying up to date with pedagogical advancements is key to ensure an effective classroom. Warwick enabled me to be academically literate and critical of literature. I’m completing an MA currently and I find that Warwick's high standard of academic integrity and my exposure to primary research in all three years of my study have made it easy to access and engage with higher-level research.

Favourite memory?
My favourite Warwick memory is definitely graduation. We had our graduation postponed by two years because of the pandemic and it was amazing to get back together with all my course mates and lecturers in the July sunshine.

Best thing about the Warwick community?
It’s familiar. The Warwick student and staff population feels small enough that there is a real community feel. I felt as though I knew lots of people through societies and my faculty meant that Warwick was always welcoming. My studies since Warwick have been at universities with a larger population and they feel alien and estranged.

Favourite place on campus?
The Piazza during Eurovision.