Alfie Sharrock is a final year BSc Sociology and Social Policy student at Cardiff University.
My academic interests are currently split between two ends of the spectrum – Contemporary Inequalities and Public Health. Throughout my degree, I had heard lecturers speak about the great work that DECIPHer does, and had always been intrigued to find out more. It was after completing a module on Evaluating Social Policy, Practice and Innovation that I decided I wanted to intern at DECIPHer; to put my academic knowledge to use and get some real experience in the development, implementation and evaluation of interventions.
I would say my time at DECIPHer has exceeded all expectations. From a work experience perspective, I have been able to get involved in such a wide variety of tasks and opportunities, including data analysis, making infographics and presentations, developing interview guides, conducting scoping reviews, attending away days and completing training courses. Dr Jemma Hawkins and Dr Samantha Garay have both been great supervisors, and have been very supportive in making this internship a valuable and enjoyable experience.
‘Everyone I spoke to was a specialist in their own niche and would always give you the time of day for a chat about their work.’
Overall, I’d say the best bit of the internship for me was being able to meet so many new interesting people, and hearing about all the work they are doing. Everyone I spoke to was a specialist in their own niche and would always give you the time of day for a chat about their work.
There are a number of skills I will be taking away with me. I have improved my confidence, my ability to introduce myself and chat to new people, to work in a team effectively, to use software such as Canva and Nvivo and my quantitative and qualitative data analysis skills. I am unsure as to what I exactly I would like to do in the future, but my current plan would be to look for a master’s or a job in Public Health (a path I have discovered from my time at DECIPHer), or possibly a career in the civil service.
I would also like to say a massive thank you to everyone at DECIPHer for being so welcoming, and to Sam and Jemma for being such great supervisors!
