Class of 2025: Sydney Tartaglio

The care, passion and enthusiasm of academic staff has been one of the standout aspects of Sydney Tartaglio’s time at Essex.

As she puts it, their love for teaching and research is “infectious”.

Sydney chose to study BA Sociology and Criminology (Q-step) due to her interest in crime and the reasons why it occurs.

A similar curiosity around society and the structures within meant it was a simple decision when choosing her course.

“I was looking for three main things, a large international population, academic staff that cared about their work and the students and a place where I could see myself growing as a person,” said Sydney.

“For me, Essex checked all of these boxes.

“Having so many international students with many different perspectives and different experiences was important for me when studying sociology to understand how the same systems impact different lives.”

Originally from Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Sydney says the special feel of the Colchester Campus provided the perfect place for her to discover who she wanted to be.

She says it’s the “small random moments” that she will remember most from her time at Essex.

“From sharing our different cultures through dinner to random nights just chatting in the kitchen, we really felt like a family,” she said.

“Even in sports teams, the competitions were so much fun and hold a special place but the bus rides or game nights in the hotel are what really made it worth it.”

After graduation, Sydney plans to study a masters in Global Criminology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

She has ambitions of staying in the world of academia and one day completing a PhD.

Her love and passion for criminology have been nurtured at Essex, and Sydney credits the connections she developed with her lecturers as a key reason behind this.

She added: “I have never felt so welcomed and encouraged by the staff here. They care so much about what they teach making the lectures really interesting.

“They also provide so many opportunities to grow both as an individual and as a student. I felt heard and valued through my thoughts and experiences, making it feel like a conversation as peers rather than a massive power imbalance.

“Their support through highs and lows is incomparable, and I do not think I would be on the path I am now without their support.”