posted on 2024-10-08, 13:39authored byAkilah Maxwell
Fresh off the plane from Jamaica and newly arrived in Leicester, Akilah Maxwell was in search of a familiar setting outside of academic research that related to her previous work in national development and projects. Akilah's passions encouraged her to sign up for the Official Development Assistant (ODA) internship at the University of Leicester between January and April 2017. This was an eye-opening experience that built on her knowledge of national development, but it also revealed how Akilah could use her existing project and programme experiences in her PhD research. Below Akilah shares a first hand account of some of the lessons she learnt along the way and how they shaped her journey as a researcher.