Aston University graduate, L’myah makes change by running a political campaigns company
Hi, my name is L’myah Sherae and I studied BSc (Hons) Politics and Sociology at Aston University. I knew that I wanted to work in race relations and politics from a young age. I remember when learning the book Of Mice and Men the teacher used the racial slur without censoring it. My mum went to school the next day and spoke to the teacher to explain why it was an issue. As a result, the teacher removed the word from the book or taught it differently. I think from that age this taught me that if you voice things that make you uncomfortable this can have an impact on the environment around you. I knew that I wanted to go on to build a career that would allow me to make change so that other black children in similar situations to me, don’t necessarily have to go through the same experiences that I went through as a child.
Why Aston University?
I chose Aston University for a variety of reasons. I knew that I wanted to go into politics, and I thought that having a year in industry to explore the kind of career options that I wanted to go into would allow me to build a career that I was interested in.
Interestingly, in my placement, I applied at the Houses of Parliament in London. Honestly, I think it was one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made because that really helped me on the trajectory of the career I’m in today.
What have you been up to since graduating?
I run a political campaigns company, it’s a black-led non-profit called Enact Equality where we run national campaigns with brands, celebrities, and political leaders around race equality. We also coordinate and administer the Race Equality in Education parliamentary group. It’s one of the largest parliamentary groups in the Houses of Commons and it has over one hundred politicians who come together to advocate for greater race equality in education. Not only is every day really dynamic and different but also we have a real impact on people’s day-to-day lives. I think that’s what attracts a lot of people to politics more broadly.
How did studying at Aston University help your career?
I think there were a variety of skills that I learnt at Aston University that really helped develop the career that I have today, not only the academia being able to specialise in a variety of topics but also having that rapport with your lecturers and understanding what skills you need to demonstrate to get those high grades. It really helps you to build your passion for your subject and also helps you understand what matters most to you.
L’myah commented:
I would say really utilise what Aston [University] has to offer and understand that three to four years is not a long time so make the most of it as much as you can.