Hi! I’m Ellie, a 20-year-old Philosophy student at the University of Nottingham. I am interning at Shake Social to develop my knowledge of social media marketing; something I am really interested in and hope to be involved with more in the future, as I consider social media an invaluable tool for businesses to engage with customers and clients, and build a following of brand loyalists.

I am thoroughly enjoying my Philosophy degree, as it enables the freedom to think independently and critically analyse philosophical concepts. Modules related to feminism, psychology, moral philosophy, and crime and punishment particularly interest me. The scope of topics is so broad that it never gets boring, and some subject matter is often quite controversial which can result in heated and passionate seminar debates!

As I am going into my third and final year of studying at the University of Nottingham, (sob), I decided last year to participate in an extra careers module to start thinking about what I would like to do when I find myself thrown into the real adult world next summer. I found myself drawn to the overwhelmingly broad and diverse field of marketing and advertising, and I am now working as a Research Analyst for a marketing/consultancy company based in London. I’m really looking forward to learning more about social media marketing specifically.

As a keen writer, I have written articles for The Tab and my university’s Philosophy magazine, as well as for my own blog. I also run a fashion and lifestyle Instagram account for fun, on which I promote my blog and occasionally showcase some of my artwork – through this, I realised the value of clever social media use. I experienced first hand the rewards of regularly posting with your target audience in mind, and how quickly my followers and engagement dropped if I went a day without posting. I think it’ll be really interesting to see how social media can benefit businesses at a professional level.

This year, I have taken on the role of Social Media Manager for Student Minds (a mental health charity) to put what I had learnt from playing around with my own account and blog into practise, and to gain more experience working with social media. I also think it is really important to overcome the stigma attached to mental illness; social media is a brilliant way to tackle this issue by raising awareness and encouraging discussion, so that mental health issues can be better understood and taken more seriously.

When not online or studying, you can find me watching documentaries (most probably about cults, crime or animals), visiting art galleries, travelling or socialising with friends and family.