This year I was given an honorary award as an alumni of University of Nottingham, and gave a speech at the Sciences graduation ceremony. I thought I’d share the transcript of the speech.
I’m very honoured for the chance to talk to you all. Ten years ago, I collected my own degree in this very hall for a Masters in Natural Sciences. Looking back at that time, I was filled with excitement for my new life in the wider world to begin – and also very keen for a break from the long months of preparation for final exams.
It takes an immense amount of work, personal determination and mental focus to get to this day. You should all be very proud of the work that has brought you here. I can remember very clearly the long nights I spent struggling over algebra until the early hours of the morning.
As you embark on the next stage of your life, take a moment to really check in with who you are, now, in this moment. Think about the friendships you have formed, and the relationships you have established with your peers and mentors. Over the next few years, you might change and grow immensely. But those supportive relationships will remain with you.
In the last ten years, I have learnt so much about myself and the world. After studying Chemistry and Physics, I intended to find work in scientific research. However, one of my hobbies turned out to be unexpectedly beneficial. A novel I had written during my summer break ended up being sold to a publisher before I graduated. I walked this stage carrying a special secret, alongside my Natural Sciences degree: that I was soon to be a published author for a time travel story based in the physics I’d learnt during my course.
Initially, I planned to write for a ‘gap year’ and then jump back into the world of ‘real work’. But that gap year turned into two years, and then three, and now here I am, a decade later. I have written nine novels, as well as working in the writers room for Netflix’s TV show Heartstopper.
While I’m not the science researcher I intended to become, I do use my degree every day. As well as my writing, I run a climate activism group that encourages writers to include representations of positive climate solutions in their fiction. I also advise production companies and television networks on how to use real science in their projects.
The skills my degree taught me are invaluable as a freelance writer. The University of Nottingham gives its students so many opportunities to thrive. During my degree, I was given the chance to spend an exchange year at Bucknell University in America. Through that freedom and flexibility as a student, I developed the confidence and skills I needed to work proactively and independently; to seek out opportunities in areas that interested me. The encouragement I received here, to forge my own path with determination, is something that still sticks with me, years later. I am incredibly proud to be a Nottingham graduate.
At this juncture in your lives, I encourage you to consider what you value most. Do you want stability, or do you want a career where every day is different? Do you want to be challenged and surprised? Do you want to be in control of the twists and turns your career takes? Do you want to guide and inspire others?
The decisions you make over the next few years will set the course of your life. Choose now what kind of future you want to build. Take risks. Never stop hustling. Seek out work that you are passionate about. Build genuine connections based in mutual respect and integrity. If you are a pleasant, enthusiastic, reliable person, opportunities will come to you from the most unexpected of places.
The world of work can be overwhelming, tiring and stressful. But if you follow your heart, and carve out a niche that is distinctly, uniquely yours, you will thrive.
Congratulations on everything you’ve achieved so far. I cannot wait to see where the next decade takes you.
Thank you to the University of Nottingham for this great honour.
Wren James 