James McConnell

Hi, I'm James. As an individual I'm very outgoing, motivated, and most importantly ambitious, which is why four years ago I swapped the sleepy fields of South Wales for the hustle and bustle of London city. And have since never looked back. I've recently graduated from Queen Mary University of London; achieving an upper division second-class honours degree in English Literature. I'd like to think that this experience has stood me in good stead both personally and professionally. From it I've procured and developed a wealth of transferable analytical and communicative competences, which enable me to accurately analyse, deconstruct, and interpret theoretically complex source material, and also produce clear and concise assessments. Hopefully, with these strings firmly attached to my bow, I can look forward to successfully building a long and meaningful career. Besides gifting such benefits, studying English Literature also allowed me to indulge in my passion for reading and writing. Often I can be found engrossed in various books, poems, and articles that cover a myriad of different topics - politics is becoming an increasing favourite. As to writing, I had taken a period of post-dissertation rest, however that has passed and I am now regularly contributing articles to the magazines and blogs of friends; an opportunity I am wholly thankful for. I'm not all academia and books though. I possess a pretty broad scope of compelling interests, which range from exercise - cycling, running, football - to keeping abreast of current affairs both home and abroad. Moreover, I'm at present endeavouring to learn Mandarin - firstly because it'll be pretty handy to know in the future, and secondly to sex up my CV. Also travel is a big part of my life (notably because my father works abroad), and has afforded me the opportunity to extensively visit and encounter the diverse cultures of Far East Asia. This is again another opportunity I'm entirely thankful for, and one that I believe has had a great influence upon my personal development. Of late I've also begun to entertain a keen interest in fashion - thanks partly to having lived and worked in the now cultural hub of East London. This is to say I not only enjoy keeping au courant with the latest trends, but am also fascinated as to how such social movements function; their emergence, seemingly ephemeral nature, and the impression they leave upon society. Yep, so that's James, at least in part. Adieu.