Hope alumna and Senior Policy Advisor for Health and Resilience at the Royal Academy of Engineering Dena Holland recently came back to campus to deliver a session for current students.
Since graduating with first-class honours in Education and Early Childhood Development, Dena began her career on the frontline working with children before moving into policy and communications.
Since being younger, Dena was always driven to help others and aspired to make a real difference in her line of work. It was these ambitions that brought her to Liverpool Hope where she embraced the student experience wholeheartedly.
Speaking on her decision to study Education and Early Childhood, Dena said: “Education was a platform by which I could support others to come out of difficult circumstances. Initially I was unsure where this would lead, potentially into teaching or in international development through an educational lens.
“That informed my reasoning to undertake the Global Hope project while I was studying at Hope. I was part of a cohort that travelled to India, which was a life changing experience that put a lot of things into perspective.”
Global Hope is the University’s International volunteering programme, that provides Liverpool Hope students and staff with the opportunity to engage in projects addressing sustainable development goals overseas.
Dena said: “I have always been interested in career prospects internationally but I am also very community focussed and what we could do in the UK to make a difference to others.
“Taking part in these extracurricular activities I found to be a great way to connect with people outside of my course and widen my network. I would tell current students that taking yourself out of your comfort zone is a great way to stretch your mind. When I took that trip to New Delhi with Global Hope it was the first time I had ever been to Asia and I hadn’t done a lot of travelling up until that point. It was important to me to see how the world looks beyond my own environment. I always knew that I wanted to explore international opportunities but Global Hope accelerated that for me.”
Speaking on her own professional journey, Dena explained that the reality of getting into a career with an international element was challenging but that immersing herself into opportunities while at university helped. Dena commented, “It really set me up and gave me those extra skills to be able to go after what I wanted. I thought to myself, this is my chance and I really have to squeeze everything out of this experience and find every opportunity.
“I can’t imagine what my trajectory would have been without Global Hope. I also enjoyed taking on that element of leadership on my return, helping and supporting others embarking on a similar journey and putting my learnings into practice.”
From working on the frontline in welfare through to a position in Westminster, Dena has worked with politicians, leading civil servants and policy makers.
Giving advice to students preparing to embark on their own career journeys, Dena added, “Don’t be focused on the end goal – grab every opportunity and create your own. Think about the people you can meet and how you can help, and most importantly, be curious. Make genuine connections over causes that you care about. I’ve been able to take all of my experiences and turn it into something that is useful and impactful in each and every role.”