Postgraduate Prospectus

www.essex.ac.uk/hrc | Human Rights
Staff and students from our Human Rights Centre receiving the Queen’s Anniversary Prize at Buckingham Palace
Thomas Lombardi, London
– BA Politics and Law ’08,
MSc Human Rights and
Research Methods ’11
Graduate
profile
The University’s reputation as a
centre of excellence for human
rights made Essex an easy
choice for me. The chance
to study with world renowned
experts in human rights was an exhilarating
prospect which didn’t disappoint. The
Colchester Campus was also a draw;
surrounded by lakes and parkland, it
was a beautiful place to study and
unwind after a hard day’s work.
I had a modest idea, before I came
to Essex, of what I wanted to achieve,
which wasn’t overtoppling a corrupt
autocratic regime or creating a welfarist
state! Instead I wanted to understand a
question which puzzled me in everyday
life: why do human rights get such a bad
press in the UK? I am proud to say that I
achieved this goal in a steady and gradual
process, culminating in my dissertation.
At Essex, you are given this opportunity
to develop your own personal approach
to rights. I feel that I now understand
rights not as some magical tool or an
empty promise but rather, at minimum,
as political, sociological and legal
constructs safeguarding our equality,
dignity and autonomy.
Working alongside such dedicated
people was humbling, exciting and
enriching. There were also opportunities
to socialise, such as our introductory
tour around Colchester and end of year
trips to Kosovo and Europe. My visit to
Kosovo, plus various activities in and
around campus, certainly helped develop
my skills and provided great experiences.
There were many activities to get
involved in, like the Human Rights in
Schools project, as well as various
University societies.
Since graduating, I have found
employment as a floating support
worker for the Look Ahead housing
group. I would recommend getting as
much practical experience as possible
whilst at Essex and taking any vocational
opportunities that are offered as all of
this, and the voluntary experience I
gained at Crisis during my Christmas
holidays, helped me secure my position.
If I had not studied at the Human
Rights Centre, I would not have had the
theoretical knowledge and people skills
to contribute effectively to my current
role. My time at Essex gave me a unique
approach to social care and allowed
me to put a person’s autonomy,
equality and dignity first, with a
solid belief in its foundations.
Postgraduate Prospectus 2012 | 133