Fashion Marketing and Journalism BA graduate Alexandra del Pilar Flores Enciso talks about what her highlights of the course at London Met were.
Tell us a little bit about yourself
I'm from the beautiful and warm city of Lima, Peru - a bit far away and different from London, but I really wanted to move and experience what it's like to live abroad. Coming here on my own was a challenge that I am grateful I decided to do. Leaving my home, my language, my culture and the familiarity I was used to, to start something new where things I didn't used to appreciate before moving to London made sense as I adapted to the new reality. Coming to London made me realise that the world is so much more than I thought that here I share so many cultures and languages, that even the mentality changes and opens to the different opportunities that this city offers.
What brought you to London Met?
I was unsure of what I wanted to do, I knew that since I was a child I liked to write a lot and as I grew up I liked to ask questions, do research and talk maybe too much and since I can remember I liked everything related to business, to communicate messages in a simple way. So when I finished my International Foundation Year the next step was to apply to a university in the UK and I looked for courses that were related to my skills and interests and so one day I typed in the Google search engine the two courses that I liked the most and London Met came up as the first option and I just clicked on it and I knew what I wanted to study and where I wanted to study.
I looked at other universities, but London Met offered me what the others didn't, my two interests: Marketing and Journalism, two courses in one. I felt comfortable and happy with the modules the course offered and without hesitation I applied.
It was in July 2021, in a cold and gray Lima, where the Covid restrictions were still present and I was uncertain about which university in the United Kingdom was going to respond to my application first. Once the acceptance letter from London Met arrived in my email, all the effort of learning English for years, having gone through the stress of knowing what to study and the reality that I was about to leave my life in Peru behind, started to make sense.
What did studying at London Met mean to you?
For me, having studied at London Met means having adapted to a community. I have always felt that London Met has had an impact on me, especially with the topic of building a new life with new people. The atmosphere that you find within the university is so varied, so diverse that there is no fear of wanting to be like others, but rather to continue being yourself because you know that everyone here brings different realities, but within the university we are all one. It doesn't matter what country you are from, or what language you speak, the university offers that atmosphere of embracing everyone and being part of it.
It is not easy to leave your country, your culture, your family, anyone who does it has a lot to be proud of. There is bravery and fear at the same time but coming from so far away and making a change like that, the world feels bigger and smaller at the same time. For me, London Met meant change because that's what happened in my life. And you learn more than you thought.
What is your biggest passion in life and where did that passion come from?
As someone who has studied Fashion Marketing and Journalism, my greatest passion is communicating. Since I was a child I started with the idea of wanting to convince, it may sound curious but I really liked finding a way to be persistent so that my opinion is also considered and then in adolescence I have been immersed in the commercial world of transmitting the message behind the products, brands, especially their value, always using the fewest words possible so that the buyer is convinced of my message. And this passion for communicating that leads me to always be constantly curious to analyse, a communicator does not value technique or tools, they value good communication. And the greatest virtue of a communicator is always telling the truth.
What’s the proudest moment in your life?
Many talks about a single moment that makes them proud, but personally in my academic life and after this I would have three.
- The first is graduation day, I would describe it as one of the best days of my life, this was a dream, and the fact that it has come true has been a blessing for my life, walking across the stage and seeing my classmates in these three years clapping for each other, It has been amazing.
- The second moment was when my professors congratulated me for being very versatile and that I function calmly in the role assigned to me without problems. This occurred in the different Newsday and Newsweek’s for the Holloway FM and Met Today stations at the university where Participate as a radio, television and technical presenter at the stations. That comment made me feel happy to know that I can do what I set my mind to and adapt calmly.
- And my third moment is when I was contacted to be part of an article for BBC News World (BBC Mundo), with the interest of knowing what it is like to be an international student in London and my experience studying at London Met. Seeing my name in print was kind of crazy. I honestly didn't think my name would get out beyond the university, and maybe now beyond London. It was very exciting. When you work hard at London Met, it doesn’t go unnoticed.
Tell us a little bit about your interests outside of uni and why they are important to you.
London is a very big city, but sometimes as big as it is you don't know where to go in life. And something very important that has kept me in a state of tranquility and peace in my studies has been my faith, as a Christian one of my interests while studying It has been going to church during the week and being surrounded by friends my own age, studying the Bible, being able to let go of my burdens and help others with theirs. And obviously one of the things I love most about London are its parks, in any season of the year and it relaxes me a lot to explore and walk listening to music around Finsbury Park, Green Park, Hyde Park and Regent's Park frequently.
What’s next in your career?
The next step in working and growing professionally, my studies have been very fruitful in giving me a door to the areas that I am most interested in, which is Media and Communications, Marketing and Public Relations and ultimately it is being able to put into practice everything I have learned in any of these areas.
Do you have any advice for anyone else considering studying at London Met?
My biggest advice to those who want to study at London Met is to feel confident doing so, the experience the university provides is vast. Many universities tend to be about name and image, but London Met is about community, it makes you feel like you know everyone as if they were lifelong friends, and that was the familiarity that I was looking for, especially with the warm personality that I usually have. The staff at the university are very friendly, they quickly help with any questions or problems you have, they look for solutions and the necessary support so that students feel heard.
How are/were the other students and the teaching staff on the course? Are you still in touch?
I was very blessed that my Journalism and Marketing professors have been very kind and have supported me in improving during my studies, from searching, writing to producing. In particular, I still maintain contact with my teacher Daniel Schweimler, and I was surprised that he knew that I came from Latin America and he started speaking in Spanish with me, and that made me feel familiar after a long time only speaking in English. In addition to being grateful to the rest of my teachers during the course, in Marketing to Emmanuel Ohohe and Giovanni Bordone and for Journalism to Wendy Sloane, Simon Cadman and Gill Wood. Everyone has pushed me to improve and adapt quickly during these three years of the course.
Did you do any work experience as part of the course? Can you tell us more and what the challenges and highlights were?
I really valued the second-year work placement module. Thanks to it I gained immense experience in just one month. Work as a Consultant Journalist for 'Her Connect Hub' under the OSBH Online Startup Hub initiative, I supported events and exhibitions aimed at promoting women-led businesses, fostering a community of support for female entrepreneurship. There I also assisted in the creation of content ideas for the social media account contributing to the promotion of gender equality in the business sector. And I have managed and curated a press release to increase awareness and participation for an event in Egypt that attracted over 100 attendees to connect, share ideas, and expand their networks. This work experience pushed me to present ideas and think about what I was interested in writing about and how I should communicate with the audience. This work experience led me to be able to contribute what I learned at the university in Marketing and Journalism to this organization.
What surprised you about London Met?
What surprised me most about London Met when I arrived is how multicultural it can be, you meet people of different nationalities that I had often never heard of you hear many languages and you get to know different ways of seeing life thanks to their experiences. The university feels like the same city but in a more closed space.
What’s your favourite piece of Uni equipment or your favourite space at London Met and why?
If I could say the areas I spent the most time at the university were the library and the gym. My favorite area in the library was at the back of the first floor, it had two things that I consider characterizes me, sometimes in silence and sometimes with many voices because the students were talking so much and sometimes I also felt free to chat without feeling afraid of going to another area of the library, if you like an environment like that, I recommend that area. And my other favorite area was the gym located in the Science Center, where I not only de-stressed by lifting weights, I also enjoyed how easy it was to socialize with other sports lovers.
What’s your favourite place in London and why?
In London there are two places that I love the most and I am creating beautiful memories, one of them is Mayfair and it is more because of the spiritual link that I feel with that area in Central London since my church where I congregate is there, and the other place is Notting Hill, and the times I have gone to this area have been in moments that became memorable with special people, the colours of the houses and how vibrant, colourful, vintage and warm the area is, I love it.
