BSc Geography and Geocomputation, King’s College London
AI and Analytics Consultant at CapGemini Invent
I’m an AI and Analytics Associate Consultant and had no idea I’d end up where I am today. Studying BSc Geography and Geocomputation (with Spatial Analytics), however, has been central to it all. Sustainability is no longer a buzzword, but is actively being embraced in workspaces, laws, and consumer trends. There’s never been a better time to graduate with our major!
To introduce myself, here’s a timeline of my journey:
- 2022: I am an AI and Analytics Asssociate Consultant at Capgemini Invent
- 2020: I previously worked as a Data Scientist at a commodities trading company, after being networked in by the social mobility charity, upReach, for which I currently work as a Trustee on their Director’s board. They supported my personal and professional development all the way through university, and I cannot wait to see how they continue to support disadvantaged students.
- 2021: I co-founded VoiceESEA, an anti-racism education organisation specifically focused on tackling the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic. I lead their data team, where we quantify age-old issues of inequality in society and support problem solving.
- 2019: Graduated from university.
Modules relevant to my daily work include physical geography research (into cloud forest hydrology- which I gained access to through subsidised exchange programs), and basic applications of coding (Python, SQL, R).
Looking back, it’s perhaps obvious why I applied for Geography at university. I loved school. I loved problem solving in maths, creative writing in English, how things worked in science, and simultaneously how big and small the world was exposed to be when exploring spatiotemporal differences in culture through Geography. Geography, further, allowed me to apply all of the above. Considering the fact that I was raised in a household where we constantly asked questions about the world around us, I also found the fact that the classes enabled and encouraged discussion around eye-opening topics to be exciting and engaging.
University was nothing like school, though. On one hand, my curiosity took me further than I’d dreamed of — I jumped at the opportunity to learn anything of interest. In my first year, the Widening Participation department subsidised my summer exchange to Taiwan, where I researched cloud forest hydrology. On return, I reached out to my Head of Department about more information on the topic, as he also specialised in the niche field. He kindly invited me to intern in his ‘FreeStation’ project in the lab during my second year. In my third year, I stayed at the Wayqecha research centre in Peru for a month for my dissertation: on the impact of climatic drying in cloud forests. I also took up Mandarin through university classes, and did extracurricular modules in art and theology (the AKC), as well as learning first aid through St John’s Ambulance.
However, my mental health throughout it all was in shreds. Because I was the first person in my family to go to university, I assumed struggling all the way through was completely normal. None of these extracurriculars were particularly taxing, but I had no idea how to balance my time. In terms of my uni work, I was terrified of asking questions and outing myself as the most unintelligent person in the room, so I couldn’t bring myself to ask for academic support. For three years, I read nothing but journals to prepare for essays. I’d print them out or have them saved on every mobile device and I read them at the dinner table, on my commute, and throughout the weekends. I had no social life, because I couldn’t work out how to fit it into my schedule. Little did I know, everyone was feeling the same and that I should have jumped at the opportunity to ask as many questions as possible.
I also had no one to ask about personal and professional development. Considering the fact that my friends oftentimes had similar backgrounds to me, I assumed it to be the norm and set it aside to focus on the onslaught of academic responsibilities. Thank goodness for social mobility charities such as upReach, however. In contrast to other charities in the same space, they uniquely provided me a 1-1 mentor whose personalised guidance was free, genuinely constructive, and generous. As an Associate, I was invited to learn skills I didn’t even know I was missing: interview skills, networking and communication, industry knowledge about opportunities and job titles I’d never heard of but fascinated me. Through them, I learnt about consultancy, which aligned perfectly with my curiosity to problem solve. I now work in the industry, thanks to upReach’s training. The charity also partners with an array of companies- to host events, educate Associates at career fairs where you could actually ask questions in comfortable settings, to fast-track us into grad schemes and to connect with professionals as mentors. The transformation in my confidence — both in my own skills and that my future might be bright — was evident through their support.
After graduating, I interned at a development consultancy called ‘Africa Reimagined’ in China through a subsidised programme hosted by CRCC Asia/ British Council. It was an incredible hands-on opportunity which opened my eyes to the reality of global power shifts I’d only read about until then. Because my team was so welcoming, I also realised I’d had a lot of pent-up fears about how coming from my background might make it difficult to fit into a professional setting, until then. Asking questions to and working alongside my incredible team for two months broke that barrier in my mind down quickly, which made it a lot easier to work in London when I returned.
On return, I really struggled to find a job due to a mix up in communications during the height of the pandemic. In my frustration, I grasped at any opportunity I could get my hands on. In hindsight, the period was incredible for self-growth. I wrote for journalism platforms, assisted on photoshoots, and through it all, developed my communication and confidence. I relearnt how to code through the organisation ‘Code First Girls’, since I’d not been able to retain any information during coding modules at university. Their business model was fascinating and the hands-on tasks I completed within their optimistic, supportive community enabled me to finally write ‘Python’ on my CV, without feeling like a fraud. upReach helped me throughout this entire period- with my mentor generously reading my applications and providing interview mocks. On hearing that I’d learnt how to code, they supported me into a Data Science role at their partner firm, Czarnikow, where I furthered my coding skills, professionalism and understanding of stakeholder management for over a year.
2020 was rough. I was personally content and very grateful for what I had in 2021. In 2022, I look forward to thriving. In January, good news kept rolling in thanks to connections who’d helped me in the past few years.
- I got my dream job at Capgemini Invent, as an AI and Analytics Associate consultant- after having been networked in by Code First Girls in 2020 and a friend I’d met at an upReach event.
- I was appointed the newest Trustee at upReach, where I look forward to supporting the organisation and future Associates, so their incredible work in transforming the playing field will continue, and every eligible student in the years to come, will be able to look back and be grateful for the organisation’s drive, as I am now.
- VoiceESEA, the educational organisation tackling anti-Asian hate crimes, I work as the Data Team Lead for, was announced to be a legally recognised organisation.
From this point, I’m heartened to see that support systems I relied on all the way up do exist, and that they are becoming more reliable and widespread. Social mobility and equality are synonymous with sustainability. However possible, I look forward to participating to top-down change so the next generation can be glad people stepped in to stop cycles of deprivation!
Good luck with your Geography and Geoscience degrees — your empathetic and inquisitive mindsets will make your journey a fascinating one!