Richard Taunton Sixth Form College
Laura Rose McCarthy
SUN Progression Mentor at Richard Taunton Sixth Form College
What is your role at the college & how can you support the students?
As the SUN Progression Mentor at Richard Taunton, I work within the careers department and my job encompasses a variety of different roles. I organise and facilitate trips, events, and guest speakers to help students realise their passions and ambitions; to name a couple of examples, I have led a trip to CGFX at Solent University and had lecturers visit our English students to discuss Dracula and Tennessee Williams. I also create and deliver my own workshops and present those created by the Southern Universities Network, covering topics such as careers in the creative arts and degree apprenticeships. I also hold 1-2-1 sessions with students, helping them with specific needs and queries, exploring everything careers related from future job aspirations, to apprenticeships, to university courses (and more!). To help students, I have also created a useful online classroom on Teams where they can access frequently updated resources.
What has been your career journey & what did you study?
I have had an array of jobs in my past, one of my most interesting positions being the years I spent as a professional zombie with ZED Events, where I even got the opportunity to perform on TV. This was a fitting job for me as I did my undergraduate in English Literature, Film, and Theatre, specialising in Film. From my time at university, I am most proud of my final dissertation which was awarded a first; it was on the topic of location cinema, primarily focusing on the film In Bruges with minor reference to An American in Paris and The Darjeeling Limited. This degree opened the door into teaching; it meant I had the entry requirements to apply for a degree apprenticeship with Teach First. I did my teacher training as a secondary school English teacher. This led me to a career in teaching for several years, where I advanced into a range of roles in different schools (as a Literacy Lead, a Second in Department for English, and I ran the Film GCSE for a while too). I enjoyed teaching older students and was inspired to work within a college environment which is one reason why the SUN Progression Mentor appealed to me. I really enjoy working for SUN and admire the work my colleagues do. It is rewarding to help students to overcome barriers and carve out a life for themselves.
What is a fun fact about you?
In my spare time, I am a very active person. I do yoga on a daily basis and play roller derby. In roller derby, I am in the main league for Southampton City Rollers, under my derby name Lady Macdeath (number 95). Alongside this, I have an array of creative hobbies. I love to read, having read 82 books last year. I also love to write, even having my work displayed in local galleries in Southampton. I’ll even paint a Warhammer figurine every once in a while.
