Profile: Aishah

Hi everyone, and welcome! I’m Aishah, and I’m in my final year at Middlesex studying BA Sociology with Criminology. I’m having a terrific whirlwind experience so far and loving every moment of it. The best thing about Middlesex is the social life. I’ve made friends with people of all ages, races, cultures and ethnicities, and with people studying a wide range of subjects.

My best Middlesex memory is when I nominated my lecturer, Dr Erin Sanders-McDonagh, for the 'Most Empowering Teacher' Award in 2014 and she won! I can’t put into words what she has done for me. She’s been a really big part of my student experience, having faith in me right from the start and picking up on my positive attitude and commitment to my course. She rewarded that with opportunities that I would never have had otherwise, and these opportunities started a chain reaction of doors opening for me.

Erin asked me to work on an interdisciplinary research evaluation project alongside other academics, straight after my first year. The project evaluated the Tender Healthy Relationships Project, a drama-based preventative education programme focused on violence in relationships. I spent the best part of five months learning key research skills, interviewing participants and learning statistical software. This was an amazing placement and it really advanced my understanding of research. Through undertaking this project, my existing skillset was developed and many new skills were nurtured. Furthermore, my experiences through working on the project positively contributed to what I was learning on my course. It is here that I was truly able to relate theory to practice and this boosted my chances of doing really well in my degree.