We Are Marjon
To be at Marjon is to belong to the Marjon community. Here we are people focused. We listen, we want to make a difference and we work together to all be the best we can be.
Your story matters because we care about our staff and students, about how you got here and where your future ambitions lie. We get to know you and what matters to you and we help you excel.
Abby Davies
"I’m working at the BBC because of Marjon. This place has given me a bright future.
Through my lecturer, Mike Baker, I was lucky enough to get some work experience at BBC Radio Devon shadowing someone on the travel desk; helping them to update the traffic reports every fifteen minutes.
Around two weeks later, I was offered the opportunity to work some paid shifts as a Broadcast Assistant. Of course, I couldn’t turn down this fantastic opportunity and I’ve been involved in some amazing projects since! From answering phone lines to putting songs onto the running order, I’ve been involved in almost everything at one stage or another. I still have to pinch myself, it’s such good fun! I can’t believe that I’m getting paid to do a job that I really, really love.
It’s a scary but exhilarating job that, without the link between BA (Hons) Journalism and the BBC, I wouldn’t have. It’s such a fantastic opportunity to be given whilst I’m still studying and I feel confident and prepared for life after Marjon. I’m hoping to apply for a full time position at the BBC after I graduate. I’m proud to say I’m Marjon."
Avik Sakti Kumar Banerjee
"I am doing a research project to find the best ways to support students with dyslexia. We need professional expertise to ensure that people who have dyslexia find ways to manage it. It's possible, but currently there is a massive problem that some people fall through the gaps. My research focuses on diagnosis in schools, so that students can get support as early as possible. Then it will move on to the expertise and support to provide treatment and intervention.
We know when we give people coping strategies they can thrive academically on their own and do not need one-to-one support. I'm really excited about what we may be able to discover and the difference that will make to people's lives."
Maddy Hopson
"When I saw diver Tom Daley win a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics, I was inspired and wanted to give diving a go. Four years on and I am a platform diver training every week as well as coaching diving once a week, I love it! Diving has given me confidence and helped in strengthening my core stability which in turn helps making my everyday life with Cerebral Palsy easier.
I am desperately trying to get disability diving noticed around the country and get other sports centres to give taster sessions. I persuaded Plymouth Life Centre to start a disability diving class, which I help to coach. It is one of only three classes throughout the country. My goal is to one day see diving in the Paralympics!
Sport has become my passion and Marjon has given me the chance to study this through the BA (Hons) Sport Development programme. They have worked alongside and supported me with my transition into university life with my disability. I love doing things people said you wouldn't be able to do!"
Dr Jonathan Harvey
“I had to learn to walk, drive and do basic things after my head injury. Now I’m in a position where I can give something back and educate people to treat disabled people in the same positive way I have been treated.
On the whole I have been treated really well but having read and researched about disabled people I know that isn’t always the case and I want to help change that. I feel strongly that disabled people are discriminated against in society and I want to be part of educating people and helping society realise that disabled people are more than their label.
The community atmosphere at Marjon fits with the inclusion agenda of the BA (Hons) Special Educational Needs and Disability Studies course I teach. The University is community-based, and the students know the lecturers. That makes it so much easier to work. The most rewarding part for me is working with students and seeing them become much more confident working with disabled people. You can see the way they work with disabled people changes so much and it’s great to see that change taking place.”
Sarah Stevenson
"When you come to Marjon, it feels like coming home.
When I started, Rob the Vice-Chancellor told me all about the values. I thought this is it, yes. They chimed with me on a personal level. I hadn’t experienced this at other universities.
I really like that we teach our students the values of ambition, curiosity and independence. It’s inspiring to see how these values influence their thinking and shape their work.
Even though you’re new at Marjon, you don’t feel new. Everybody is friendly. The small size of the university is a part of this but it’s really about the attitude at Marjon. I quickly got the idea that there are no stupid questions and that you’re encouraged to question how things could be done better for the benefit of our students. It doesn’t feel like a hierarchy, everyone has a voice, everyone cares.’’
Geoffery Gulzar
"I was seven when my mum died, and I had to move from Pakistan to England with my younger sister to live with my dad. It was hard at first, not speaking the language, but I remember a bunch of lads asking me to play football and from then on I started to learn English and make really good friends.
Since then, I love getting out of my comfort zone. I chose Marjon so I could study abroad. I studied in Pennsylvania for my second year. I love meeting new people, learning about new cultures, and hearing people’s stories. I made friends from all over the world.
Sport has been really important to me in making me feel at home. I want to research more into how sport brings people together and breaks down cultural barriers. I've been accepted to train to be a PE teacher."