The University of Essex

Graduate Profiles

Zarine Russell - BA Latin American Studies with Human Rights ’09
Stephanie Kogler - BA Latin American Studies '10

• Zarine Russell - BA Latin American Studies with Human Rights ’09, Bourne, Lincolnshire

Shortly after graduating, Zarine started her career as an executive assistant for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

“I chose to study at the University of Essex as the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities had a fantastic reputation, doubled with the world-renowned Human Rights Centre. I was able to study the two areas I am extremely passionate about and could not
have chosen a better course or university!

I found settling into the University really easy. Living in the Towers was a brilliant start to my first year, being able to meet so many new people.

I immersed myself quickly into student life, getting involved with
volunteering activities, as well as working in Top Bar on the Colchester Campus.

The flexibility of my course was fantastic. I was able to pick modules across many disciplines including modern languages, politics, sociology, history, literature, law and human rights. Although challenging, my course provided a unique way to study across many fields, and helped me acquire so many transferable skills.

The best part of my course was spending my year abroad in Bogotá, Columbia, where I studied at the Universidad de Los Andes. It was an amazing experience, which enabled me to improve my Spanish. All these factors helped secure my current career, as language skills are required for my postings in embassies overseas.

The support and guidance that was provided throughout my course was brilliant. Being part of a small Centre, we all benefited from the attention and help of the staff. All in all, my time at Essex can be described simply as challenging, life changing and worth every minute. It has been the best time of my life!”

• Stephanie Kogler - Latin American Studies - '10

"I’m Stefanie and a recent graduate in Latin American Studies at the University of Essex. When I first came across this degree I instantly knew that it was what I wanted to study. I had been interested in Latin America for a while before I even knew that there was a degree that specialized in it. I spent some time in Colombia and lived with people from all over Latin America. Through this I became interested in its history and culture. Also, I wanted to learn Spanish and Portuguese and of course, travel, live and study in this vast and intriguing region.

In my first year at Essex I combined my degree with Human Rights but decided that it wasn’t for me. In my second year, I became increasingly interested in Latin American Art. One of the deciding factors for me to study at Essex was that it holds the biggest public collection of Latin American Art in Europe. The collection is also known by the acronym UECLAA (University of Essex Collection of Latin American Art). Some of its works are on show in the Library together with a number of sculptures that are dotted around the university grounds.

During my year abroad, I researched my dissertation on Colombian Contemporary Art. I travelled extensively throughout South America and the Caribbean and spent six months studying and living in Argentina and another six months in Colombia. Spending such a substantial amount of time there gave me the opportunity to live my degree and obtain a unique and in depth view of my chosen subject.

In my final year I became an intern with UECLAA. This internship provided me with first hand insight and invaluable experience into Latin American Art, artists and institutions. Also, I became involved in an exciting new project which will see the creation of a permanent museum for Latin American Art by 2014.

I will go on to attend a Master in Curating Latin American Art at the University of Essex and specialize in this area. I’m looking forward to being a postgraduate here. Nevertheless, I am very proud to have been an undergraduate at Essex and would not change anything about my experiences."