We’re excited to be catching up with the lovely Jess, last year’s Campus Correspondent at Durham! From graduating months ago, to working full-time and running her own blog, this girl has been super busy making the most of her graduate life.
What have you been up to since finishing uni?
To be honest it only feels like yesterday that I was graduating, but now that I think of it I’ve managed to fit in a lot since then! I’ve worked full-time as a Carer, which was such an eye-opening and rewarding experience that I really benefitted from. The most exciting thing I’ve done is start up my own blog! I decided to combine two things that I really love: writing and the North East of England. The result was the creation of Highlighting the North East! I’ve also managed to get some travelling done in my time off and so far have visited Barcelona and Rome, which were both fantastic. One benefit of working rather than studying is that I actually have some money to do the things I really want to do!
Where are you based now?
I’m back in Newcastle, my hometown, which is a handy location for writing my blog. Highlighting the North East is a great excuse to go and try out all the cafes, restaurants and bars I’ve never visited in my favourite city. People who haven’t visited Newcastle and the North East may not realise how much there actually is to do here – we have some of the best beaches and countryside in the country, as well as gorgeous seaside towns and bustling cities. There’s no place I’d rather be!
Tell us about what’s keeping you busy nowadays
Obviously working full-time takes up a lot of my time at the minute, but I try to make the most of my days off (even when I really just want to sleep!) My blog motivates me to get up in the mornings and visit new places. Even my friends are now very used to me asking to meet up so we can review new coffee houses together! This weekend I’m meeting some of the people I went to Durham with at an event at Wylam Brewery in Newcastle – look out for the blog post on my website!
Do you think HC has helped you with what you’re doing now?
There’s no doubt about it! The writing practice and the IT and editorial skills I acquired from being Editor-in-Chief at Her Campus Durham have helped me so much with setting up and running Highlighting the North East. Even picture selection and optimizing social media usage are easier for me because of the practice I had at HC Durham. As you can imagine, co-running an online magazine whilst completing a degree was no easy feat! But in reality it has probably made me a more organised person, and has made working and writing now more manageable. I’d love to enter into a writing/editorial career and all of these skills will hopefully help me achieve that. More than anything I’ll always be thankful to HC Durham for introducing me to some fab friends! Miss you all.
Tell us a bit more about Highlighting the North East:
Highlighting the North East is a travel and lifestyle blog aiming to show people how wonderful the North East of England really is. Whether you’re visiting for the weekend or have lived here all your life, my blog is sure to show you some of the hidden gems of the region. So far I’ve reviewed breweries, cafes, restaurants, places for family days out and even a seaside fish shack! I’m really passionate about where I live and I wanted to show people why. As well as my website, I’m on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – search for Highlighting the North East and get following!
What’s the best piece of advice you can give students in their third year?
I won’t be the only one to tell you this but your final year at Durham absolutely flies by. You’ll have summatives, dissertations and all sorts keeping you busy and before you know it you’re graduating in Durham Cathedral! So, my piece of advice would be to make the most of it and make each day special. Make sure you’ve explored every nook and cranny of Durham city and venture even further. If you check out my website, you’ll see that there is so much to explore in the local area – why not get a bus to Chester-le-Street and visit Beamish, the North East’s Living Museum? Head to Tynemouth and enjoy lobster and prosecco on the beach! Go to Alnwick or Bamburgh Castle and explore the region’s history and beautiful beaches. Most important of all, make memories you won’t forget!
What do you miss the most about Durham?
I don’t live too far away so it’s quite easy for me to pop over and visit whenever I miss the lovely city of Durham. But I have to say, I miss living with my friends and seeing them all the time! We’re all spread across the country now, with some even planning to move to the other side of the world, it’s really quite sad. I miss just spontaneously deciding to go out and meet my friends for brunch or a drink after lectures – good times.
What’s the best day trip you’ve done outside of Durham while you were here?
If you haven’t been Extreme Trampolining at the trampoline park in Belmont Industrial Estate yet, you need to get yourself there! One weekend in third year we all decided to have a house day out and act like real kids! It’s really not very far away from Durham City it’s actually really good exercise as well! We were all aching for days! So worth it though.