ACEF funding had a profound impact on my academic and professional development. My stay at the University of Strathclyde allowed me to gain skills I could not have acquired at home. I grew more confident in communicating in English, especially in writing to academics I had long hoped to contact. I also learned to present my research clearly in informal settings and to translate my ideas into a different academic culture.
Conversations with doctoral students and meetings with senior scholars—especially Professor Laura Kelly—helped me rethink my project through a more specific gender lens. This led me to recognise forms of historical erasure that I now plan to address in my dissertation. Seminars introduced me to more inclusive teaching practices, which I hope to adopt in the future, and a workshop on public engagement encouraged me to think seriously about disseminating my research beyond academia.
Access to Englishlanguage resources and intensive feedback greatly improved my academic writing and strengthened my confidence in pursuing an international academic career.
J. K.