Emma is a Teaching Fellow on the Early Years programme and 2+2 degree programme at the Centre for Lifelong Learning. This May, she has also been long-listed in the University Awards 2018 for her Global Contribution at the University. We caught up with her before the awards evening to hear more about how she's feeling about the awards evening and her work at Warwick University.

What do you enjoy the most about being a member of staff at Warwick University?
I started my own academic journey at Warwick so it is a pleasure to be able to support students who are embarking on theirs. I particularly enjoy seeing my students grow in confidence and self-belief.

Were you surprised to receive an award? Tell us more about how you felt when you found out.
Yes! It took me completely by surprise when I received the email. It is lovely to be appreciated, so thank you to the student who nominated me.

 What are your plans for the awards night?
I’m at a conference in Birmingham that day so I will be hot-footing it over to Warwick to meet my partner and hopefully arrive on time!

What is it like to be a part of the CLL community?
I enjoy working at CLL. I am lucky to have very supportive colleagues on both of the programmes and teach a diverse range of students.

You’ve previously worked on international education projects, can you tell us in more detail what you did, where you worked and your experience of this?
Prior to starting my PhD I worked as a Research Assistant where my main role was to conduct fieldwork in the UK and abroad. It meant that I had the opportunity to travel and talk to people from a variety of different backgrounds and organisations. I will never forget how I had to fly to Poland three days into the job to present some research findings – talk about dropping me in the deep end!

Your research focuses on young disabled children’s right and voices, can you explain in more detail where this interest has come from and how you have pursued it.
I became interested in the area of Special Educational Needs and Disability due to volunteering in nurseries and supporting families of children with profound and complex needs as a teenager. Coming to university allowed me to explore this in an academic context and I decided to do a PhD which explores the experiences of family members where the child has an intellectual disability. I am also currently working on a project at Coventry University which explores the experiences of young disabled people who identify as LGBT+. I find capturing the voices of young disabled people very rewarding as they are rarely heard.

What are your main goals in your career at Warwick?
To continue to support my students in the best way that I can! I am always looking for ways to improve the quality of my teaching and the pastoral support I provide, and looking ahead would like my role to incorporate a research element. This would allow me to demonstrate the value of research to my students and ease their anxieties in relation to conducting their own research projects.