Unearthing futures - Hannah

Why did you decide to study at the University of Edinburgh? And why History and Archaeology? 

I went to Edinburgh to study pure history originally. I knew that I liked history and didn’t know much beyond this - I hadn’t had much guidance from my School. I liked old stuff, so history it was! Edinburgh, of all the universities I looked at, had the deepest timeline for its subjects. It had history courses on earlier periods compared to a lot of other universities. 

It was in my second year that I changed my degree to History and Archaeology. I had chosen Archaeology as an outside subject (the opportunity to take subjects outside of your course in your 1^st and 2^nd years was amazing). I sat in one lecture by Professor Jim Crow, he was talking about digging at Hadrian’s Wall, and I knew I wanted to do this, this is why I was at Edinburgh. Professor Enda Delaney, helped me through the process. He laid out what I might need to do and the different steps I might have to take. Within a week he had sorted it for me and I was now a History and Archaeology student.  

How did you get to where you are? 

I’ve worked pretty solidly since graduating from Edinburgh and I’ve been able to work in different sectors during this time – from being a student caller with the University’s Development & Alumni team, to a stint in commercial working for Rubicon Heritage Services. However, I always wanted to marry archaeology with sustainability. Having volunteered with the SHRUB Coop and Food Sharing Edinburgh I knew this was an area I was passionate about. I was really fortunate to get a traineeship with Historic Environment Scotland, working in their climate change team. This was a great opportunity to kick start my career in climate heritage.  

After my traineeship I went back to field archaeology, working at Ness of Brodgar excavations in Orkney amongst others. These opportunities are great to develop your skills as an archaeologist. I then went into research, doing a Research Masters in Orkney. A great way to earn money and learn! I still was trying to figure out how to marry sustainability and archaeology so focussed my research on Paleoecology. 

I decided to stay in academia and I returned to the University of Edinburgh as a Research Assistant, working with Tanya Romankiewicz. Tanya was a fantastic mentor.  

In 2022, I got a job with the CHERISH Project as a survey assistant and moved to Wales. The CHERISH Project was a climate heritage project, recording archaeological sites that are at risk from climate change around coastal Wales and Ireland. I’d always wanted to work for them so this was another big highlight. My role also had an outreach aspect to it which I really enjoyed, and was promoted to the Survey and Outreach officer. Following this, I was a Decarbonisation Officer for a National Park and now I work for The Discovery Programme as an Outreach and Communications Officer, based in Dublin.  

The most fun parts of my job are when I am running outreach workshops and working with people on site, getting out and about working with communities, working with the public and with other people within the sector.  

For me, I was always thinking what might interest me, what would be fun, what would help me develop skills, where will this take me, does this align with my values? 

My interest area was quite niche – climate heritage – and I was able to build of a variety of skills across the various work experiences I’ve had. 

What did you gain from your time at the University and were there any experiences during your time at university which particularly helped prepare you for life after graduation? 

I feel like my time at Edinburgh made me who I am today. It’s really shaped me from my teenage years to adulthood. For me, extracurriculars were key to my university experience.  I mentioned I was involved with the SHRUB, which is the swap and reuse hub, which is a project that was supported by the SRS (Social Responsibility and Sustainability) department and helped set up Food Sharing Edinburgh. I learned a lot through this and met wonderful people. I also discovered more about sustainability and cooperative development. These experiences helped me get my first job at Historic Environment Scotland. I was very lucky to move into the Edinburgh Student Housing Cooperative in my second year. There were so many learning opportunities here – understanding how to cooperate, facilitate meetings, interact with different people and different views. 

Every summer, I went to Orkney to dig at Ness of Brodgar and the Cairns. This was such an important opportunity for my archaeology career. It’s also a great way to expand your community. Scotland is amazing for archaeology – you are so lucky to be studying at Edinburgh and have these amazing sites near-by.  

Importantly, I met some of my closest friends at Edinburgh. Those communities are still precious. Some of these people are now colleagues also! It’s great for connections.  

How are you using your knowledge and skills from your time at Edinburgh in your current role? 

I first heard about the CHERISH Project whilst at Edinburgh. Someone shared an article about Dunbeg Fort in Co. Kerry that had been damaged by a storm but had been scanned by the CHERISH Project. This immediately stood out to me and I wanted to work for them.  

My degree is the basis for most of my skills, such as research and writing. I didn't know how to use these skills before I went to university. Also, my knowledge base. I still draw on knowledge gained from undergraduate courses and this helps me in my day-to-day role for whatever particular outreach I am focussed on.  

I have so many contacts and colleagues from Edinburgh. It’s amazing to have these contacts in different careers.  

In your opinion, what is the biggest value of studying a degree in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences?  

In archaeology outreach, you are doing science communication. So anytime you're trying to communicate on climate heritage, it's that marriage of scientific understanding of a subject and the ability to communicate that effectively with different audiences. That is key to my job. Having a degree in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences sets you up to communicate to different audiences. It also teaches you to question and interrogate evidence. I think we need more people who have this ability.  

I do think people who study these subjects have a deep love of their subject and deep love of constant learning. This love is very present in your degree and it’s instilled quite early. You're surrounded by academics who love their subject and love learning new things. 

I've worked across various sectors and I would say that that in archaeology and heritage jobs you're always surrounded by people who love what they do.  

Do you have any highlights or a favourite memory of your time at the university? 

Whilst part of Food Sharing Edinburgh we used to run an event called Disco Soup – we would make soup and play music. It was super fun.  I do have really fond memories of dissertation writing and revision in the in the upstairs library. Being in the Old Medical School with all my pals, all a bit stressed, supporting each other and then finally going out to relax on the Meadows. Also, it was always sunny when you had to revise?! Graduation was also a lot fun – a very happy memory! 

I was a President of Chill Soc – the massage society. I learnt a lot here and worked as a massage therapist after graduation. It was great – we would run retreats, massage workshops and socials. It was very wholesome and I have really cherished memories of this with some of my dearest friends.  

What advice would you give future students who are considering studying in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at Edinburgh? 

Edinburgh is amazing. It's such amazing city to live in, to work in and to study in. Make the most of the HCA resources – the library and the staff - because you don't know what you've got until it's gone. There's just so much knowledge to draw on. Remember that everyone you're interacting with is a potential future colleague - make connections and keep them. Don’t be shy! You have value and you’re full of interesting ideas and new perspectives.  

Don’t worry too much. It's really hard to get things right, particularly when you're coming from school. Put your energy into your learning inside and outside the classroom.