This summer I graduate from Oxford Brookes University for the third time – and with a PhD no less.

When I started my undergraduate degree seven years ago I never dreamed I would have the ability, let alone the opportunity, to pursue my love of history this far.

I’ll admit as an undergraduate Brookes was not my first-choice university, but I genuinely believe I would not have achieved so much anywhere else.

Continuing at Brookes for both my MA and PhD of course did make practical sense. After three incredible years living in Oxford, I was moving back home to Wiltshire to save money, but it is close enough to commute.

More importantly, I knew the lecturers and the library. As anyone who has done a course with a heaving reading load will know, finding your way round the library is your first hurdle and can take up vast amounts of time. I was able to ‘hit the ground running’.

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  • Sally with her parents Tracey and Nick Tye at her graduation

During my doctorate in particular my supervisors and the librarian were invaluable.

Admittedly I only met my director of studies (a major influence and huge source of support throughout my PhD) in my interview for doctoral funding, but we instantly clicked and were joined by a very active team of academics I had known and been taught by since I was an undergraduate.

For me the most important thing Oxford Brookes offered was academics who inspired my research, identified my potential and directed me to opportunities that would otherwise have passed me by. My three doctoral supervisors were outstanding and I owe the completion of my thesis in three years to their guidance and commitment to my work.

The university is home to the Centre for Health, Medicine and Society and having been introduced to the History of Medicine as an undergraduate it formed the basis for my undergraduate dissertation for which I was awarded the university prize.

I went on to do my MA in the same field, funded by the Wellcome Trust.

The department could not have been more helpful and supportive throughout the application process, and on completing my second degree I was directed to doctoral research possibilities. The university itself funded my PhD, which incorporated both history and religion.

The modular degree programme at Brookes allowed me to tailor my undergraduate degree and study a diverse range of areas. This became the basis for much of my further research, allowing me to incorporate the histories of medicine and religion into my work.

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While I have loved research, it has also been the opportunity to teach at Oxford Brookes throughout my doctoral studies that has enabled me to finally find a career that is also a vocation.

I begin my first full-time teaching position in September, and while yes, I could have become a teacher four years ago, having done two postgraduate degrees, I now feel I have a lot more to offer.

I won’t just be a history teacher; I have had the opportunity to research and write in my field, I have given papers, met world-renowned academics and taught at university level.

Oxford Brookes gave me the opportunity to be a historian, not just study history.

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