Sociology student set on changing national policies

Our highly-successful Women of the Future Appeal is funding 30 masters scholarships at Essex. Places were awarded to inspirational women from across the world, who will use what they learn here to effect positive change in their communities. Here is the second in a series of stories about some of these women scholars.

A Mexican student has her sights set on becoming a policy advisor to national governments after bering awarded a Women of the Future scholarship.

Elisa Fernanda Barreto Perez, who is studying for her MA in Sociology and Management, is pleased to have been one of the successful recipients, as without the funding she would not have been able to continue her education as sociology MAs are not routinely funded in Mexico.

She said: “The scholarship gave me the opportunity to study in a highly-competitive program at a high quality university that has the same values as me, such as intellectual curiosity and commitment to community. I am sure the women who benefit from this scholarship are going to have a great impact in their home countries.”

Explaining her reasons for choosing Essex, Elisa added: “I was very attracted by the way the university bridges the gap between academic research, business and local governments, generating data on important subjects and having a great impact on public policy.”

Elisa is interested in studying the digital economy as a social phenomenon, with a particular focus on the social, economic and ethical consequences behind hacking, the impact of digital governance and social goals of the digital economy.