Alumni Profile – Olivia Stocks
Olivia obtained her BA in History in 2025, after which she transitioned into Civil Service fast stream in the area of international policy. She tells us how her positive experience with staff, and wide variety of modules studied, prepared her for a career in the public sector.
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What did you study and when did you graduate?
I studied BA History and graduated in summer 2025
What was your favourite thing about being at Queen Mary?
Definitely the people! The history tutors and professors and every member of staff was so warm, welcoming and happy to help! Always loved using office hours and getting to chat about different areas of history in more detail.
What kind of job are you currently doing?
I am currently on my second year of the civil service fast stream, working in international policy.
How were you able to get this role? What kind of things did you do to find it/ get the job?
I have always been quite heavily involved in youth voice and advocacy, starting on the Bank of England’s youth forum at 14. The skills I developed here followed me through college and uni, and throughout my time at QM I always made use of any volunteering opportunities both at uni and outside of uni. I completed the civil service summer internship programme in my second year, and this gave me further information on the Fast Stream and how to apply. I also got a fast pass from the internship to skip the online assessments; highly recommend a place on the internship if the fast stream is something you’re interested in!
What kind of skills did Queen Mary impart on you that you were able to use to find your career path?
Definitely curiosity and awareness - the breadth of modules offered by the history department was exceptional, and gave me the opportunity to explore so many different parts of British and international history. The knowledge from this has helped hugely in my international role, especially working at the UN and having a pre- existing understanding of the background and history of the organisation and the nations in it. The tutors also instilled such a great sense of resilience when understanding work, this has come in hugely helpful for understanding complex policy areas and topics.