Shwmae, I’m Katie, and I’m excited to start my internship at Afallen!
I’m currently completing my MSc Society, Environment and Global Change at Swansea University. This course has allowed me to see the environment through a political, social and economic lens.
I’m originally from Merthyr Tydfil but have lived in Swansea since 2017 when I began my undergraduate degree at Swansea University. After graduating with a Geography degree I was elected as Welsh Affairs Officer and then President of Swansea University Students’ Union. It was a whirlwind of diverse experiences that has helped shape the person that I am today. It was here that I gained my first trusteeship as chair of the board and have since gone on to become a trustee of the UK Vegetarian Society, Director of the National Academy for Educational Leadership and a member of the Urdd’s International Board.
As you can probably tell, I’m an ambitious individual with many career ‘hats’! I’ve produced my very own bilingual podcast, I’ve created Welsh medium mental health content for Myf.Cymru, studied a short course on international relations in Barcelona, and I’ve volunteered in a rural village in Fiji.
I was awarded the Terry Fenge Prize by the Board of Examiners in the Geography department at Swansea University for demonstrating the greatest commitment to social and environmental justice, as well as coming fifth place in the Royal Geographical Society Race, Culture, and Equality Working Group Award for Undergraduate Dissertations. The title of my dissertation was “A study on the multiple identities created in vegan communities”, which is awaiting publication in the Swansea Geographer.
My hobbies include wild water swimming, DJing, yoga, and walking my dog Reggie!