My name is Stephanie Stavrinou, I am a 3rd Year Politics and International Relations student at the University of Nottingham.
Currently I have been working at the Helena Kennedy Foundation for 9 weeks as a marketing intern, my placement will be coming to and end soon which makes me sad. However, I will definitely stay in touch with the team as it has been such a lovely place to work and an incredible opportunity which has taught me so much.
I am inspired by the charities objectives which strives to help students progress into higher education who would not have been able to, without the bursary help provided by the foundation and the commitment of everyone who works at HKF. The work of HKF is inspiring, making it such an amazing place to work.
Before starting at the foundation, I was nervous as I was not sure what my role would entail and what would be expected of me. However, after my first day joining the Helena Kennedy Foundation I instantly felt welcomed by Shahida and was excited to continue working at the foundation as I was already enjoying the opportunity.
During my placement I have learnt many valuable skills, including how to use software such as Canva, Mailerlite and EventBrite which I had never used before to create social media posts, newsletters and events. Shahida has been an incredible mentor helping me with improving my LinkedIn profile and putting me in touch with Danielle from NCFE who has helped me with marketing advice as this is something I am interested in getting into in the future when I leave university.
Working at the foundation has helped to boost my confidence in the professional world, enabling me to feel more comfortable to present my ideas and speak out in meetings, giving me valuable skills, which would help me in the future. Shahida was a big help with this as she is very welcoming and is always ready to give me advice on my work and ways I could improve. She has made me feel welcome and feel comfortable to be able to reach out for help whenever I need it. This further highlights how working at the foundation has increased my confidence and communication skills.
During my time at HKF I have been fortunate enough to able to attend the annual House of Lords event and take part in the planning for the event. It was an amazing celebration and I am so thankful to have been a part of such a lovely day celebrating the bursary winners and getting to meet the whole HKF team for the first time, where everyone is so friendly and welcoming.
I am excited to continue working at the foundation in my final weeks, developing my skills and coming up with new ideas to help out as much as I can with the inspiring agenda of the foundation.
Stephanie’s Mentor Danielle McCullough from NCFE commented, “It’s great to hear how much Stephanie is enjoying her placement at HKF and I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to be part of her journey. The work that Shahida and her team do is really inspiring and I love being able to support the foundation to achieve its objectives. It’s been lovely mentoring Stephanie and I look forward to supporting future marketing interns at HKF.”
