veronique hawksworth

Veronique Hawksworth swiftly converted her skills gained at Reading’s Department of Politics and International Relations , to take on a vibrant, public-facing job.

Since graduating in 2019, she is now a journalist, writing lifestyle features for UK’s best-selling women’s magazines.

“I source and write real-life stories for Chat, Woman's Own and Woman's Weekly magazine. I also freelance for Vive le Rock magazine, writing music features, reviews and interviews. I juggle this with my work as a touring keyboard player and vocalist.”

Veronique considers the process that led her to the University of Reading:

“I became interested in politics during my A-Levels, and knew it was an area I’d want to study in-depth. The modules at Reading immediately captured my imagination. Of all the universities I looked at, I remember thinking that Reading had a diverse range of course content as well as study approaches. When I attended an open day, the staff seemed to really care about their modules, and their energy for the subject shone through.”

Real world modules

Veronique found the choice of modules in the Department broad and exciting with new content always being added.

“British Society was a standout module for me, not just because it was delivered by such an engaging and enigmatic lecturer but also for the way it combined political concepts with sociology. The Media and Politics module was another standout module. This is the module that made me realise I wanted to pursue journalism, as researching and producing radio content was highly rewarding as well as being great fun.

If you love a debate, you’ll probably be having one every day. There are so many opportunities at Reading, it’s up to you to find them and get as much as you can out of this course."

Inspirational teaching

Veronique is enthusiastic in describing how her future was given definition by the inspiration she drew from her degree and her tutors:

“The Media and Politics module was really inspiring for me. It made me seriously consider journalism as a career option for the first time. As well as this, I believe the Politics and IR course at Reading is unique in its ability to bring together people with a variety of perspectives from all walks of life to engage in healthy debate and open themselves to fresh ways of thinking. In my capacity as a writer I speak to people all over the world from a range of backgrounds and I believe my time at Reading helped equip me for this.

My time at Reading made me consider all the wide possibilities that were available to me, and I had incredibly supportive lecturers and supervisors who were always happy to listen to my ideas.”

When asked about the personal wisdom she gained from learning at Reading, Veronique muses on her time as a student and then transferring swiftly to a high-flying career in journalism:

“Don’t be afraid to be inquisitive, ask questions and make connections with people. You never know who might inspire you. If you’re looking for a course which allows you to study in a way which both suits your abilities and nurtures the areas that interest you, this is the place to be.”