Isabel Overton studied History at Queen Mary and now works as a Midweight writer for Artful Dog. Her responsibilities include producing articles and features for clients’ print and digital channels, writing and sub-editing content, managing the agency’s Twitter channel, including posting content and driving engagement, supporting the agency’s marketing across website, social media and other collateral and proofreading.
The town I grew up in and the school I went to really lacked diversity, so coming to Queen Mary and experiencing real multiculturalism and inclusivity was such a positive experience for me. Exposure to different ethnicities and religions helped me build my awareness and become a better person.
At Queen Mary, you develop strong support networks, while feeling like London is your playground to explore.
I had some fantastic teachers who gave me immense confidence, and I was able to step out of my comfort zone in a supportive space which saw me presenting in front of large groups, sharing my ideas, and engaging in debates. The encouragement and support I received, such as constructive feedback from my peers, helped me to develop a large number of skills.
In my third year my special subject tutor, Dr Thomas Dixon, helped me develop my writing and inspired the direction I wanted to go in, offering constructive advice and feedback.
I am a true historian at heart and studying at Queen Mary gave me access to a plethora of new topics and inspiring individuals. It was during my time at Queen Mary that I realised I had a particular passion for biographical history, and as a result I am working towards writing a biography.
At school, history is a standard subject and you typically don’t really get to focus on the aspects that you enjoy, but studying at university level really elevates the subject and broadens your options.
Definitely. Everyone thinks that if you study History, you’re going to become a teacher or historian and those are the only two options, but that’s not true! Being such a broad subject, I think History can lead you into any career imaginable. It helps you develop a range of skills from research, to analysis, to different forms of writing.