"the staff at Sheffield Hallam not only care deeply about their field of study but have a genuine, deep passion for supporting students' education and making Academia as accessible as possible"

Could the environmental sciences be for me?

I’d always been passionate about Science and the Environment but when I came out as a trans-woman at 19 and completely upended my 5 year plan I began struggling to believe I’d ever have a place in it.

After working full time to fund my transition and volunteering at a local nature reserve I was inspired to try again, and chose Sheffield Hallam as my re-entry to the Sciences for it’s focus on practical, real world inspired coursework, employability, and fieldwork - and it proved to be an amazing choice.

I grew up visiting the natural history museum and watching every nature documentary I could get my hands on. I’d always loved the romance and mystique Geography and environmental sciences had. The bold ideas of exploration, discovery, and study of the natural world was what inspired me as a child to want to study science in the first place.

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However looking a little  below the surface this idyllic gave way in some places to a history that was still rich and fascinating, but often more about resource extraction entwined with colonial ideals than stewardship or sustainability.

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It made the geosciences feel quite inaccessible, and I’m sure the barriers feel even greater for those with more intersectional factors at play.

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The importance of support and inclusivity

Honestly I did struggle during my time at SHU; being a Mature student, getting support for a previously undiagnosed learning disability during my 3rd year, struggling with my mental health during my transition and the added impact of lockdown in my first and second years was a very bumpy academic experience to say the least.

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However the staff at Sheffield Hallam not only care deeply about their field of study but have a genuine, deep passion for supporting students education and making Academia as accessible as possible.

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I began my studies feeling incredibly unsure of my place. Imposter syndrome felt very high and I honestly wasn’t sure if I could even succeed in passing the course.

But as time went on I began to develop more confidence largely as a result of the staff demonstrating incredible resilience during lockdown, taking time out of their day to support me personally, and taking a genuine interest in my success.

No such thing as a "normal" scientist
A huge turning point in my confidence was the fieldtrip to Iceland in second year, I got the opportunity to spend extra time after the trip working as a student researcher and helping to support a fellow students PHD, working alongside staff who were normally my lecturers through a staff-student research programme.

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Gaining that deeper insight into daily working, as well as having the opportunity to contribute to real world research (on this and 2 separate occasions) helped me completely overcome my imposter syndrome and really internalise that there is no “normal” Scientist.

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It was specifically emphasized to us that different perspectives and lived experiences is always an asset in research and that is a piece of advice I will hold onto for my whole career.

New studies leading to new passions
The large breadth of topics covered in the course allowed me to experience so many different topics and areas of interest and helped me recognise a real fascination and interest with water across the planet.

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This led to me eventually finding a job (after a year and a half of determined hunting) at Tetratech as a Hydraulic Modeller, where my work now involves redesigning sewer networks to make sure they don’t cause ecological issues in the countries rivers and coasts.

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A lasting legacy

The biggest takeaway I had from my experience at Hallam (and other students perspectives) was that the greater your imposter syndrome, the greater your feeling of not being “appropriate” for a field, the more likely you are to be exactly what that field needs.

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And during my experience at Hallam, that attitude wasn’t just talked about, it was put into practise.

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I’m incredibly proud to have graduated from the department at Hallam and even more proud to have studied with the lecturers, researchers, technicians, and fellow students who supported me through everything, It’s been a truly wonderful experience.

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[Maxine intends to specialise further in the water industry eventually move into into river and coastal management with a focus on ecosystem services and re-wilding. At a time when water pressures are developing due to climate change it’s essential we have a diverse host of voices and perspectives in the water industry, and she would encourage any current students/graduates to seriously consider it as a future direction for their career]