Friday 21-01-2022 - 11:09

By Ffion Hann-Jones

INSPIRE Intern 

 

Hello, my name is Ffion and I’m currently taking part in an internship to promote the Welsh language on the Carmarthen campus. I’m in my third year of studying Primary Education with QTS studying through the medium of Welsh, and when I graduate this year, I plan to become a primary teacher in addition to this, I aspire of becoming a special educational needs coordinator. My passion for being a Welsh primary teacher has stemmed from looking up to my own teachers, in particular, my reception teacher as she aided me from an early age which enabled me to have a good start in my education. I have many interests particularly matters in education, but I also have an interest in sustainability to make the world a better place for generations to come. I also enjoy socialising with friends, shopping, exercising, and travelling. I love to challenge myself and try new things and after completing this internship last year I’m very excited to continue!

I come from a non-Welsh speaking background so the only opportunity for me to use the Welsh language was through my education. Besides this it wasn’t socially acceptable to converse in Welsh with my peers as it wasn’t seen as ‘cool’, therefore, I only used the language in my schoolwork and lost confidence in my ability to speak the language. Due to this when it came to applying for university, I didn’t think my Welsh skills would be of standard, but I took the plunge and applied and very pleased I did so as I’ve found being bilingual has boosted my studies as well as provided me with a variety of opportunities in my personal and professional life. I would like to take full advantage of this opportunity to enhance the importance of the Welsh language and to increase the use of the Welsh on campus. To do this I would like to involve students as much as possible by asking for their thoughts and ideas to work together to revive and refresh the use of Welsh on campus. I have a range of ideas including social media presence, offering Welsh lessons, connecting with schools and colleges and hopefully planning some activities on campus.

Please feel free to contact and follow me on Instagram @ffionuwtsd for any enquiries, if you would like to collaborate on any projects and to view my content. Also, please feel free to send me any questions via the university’s ‘UniBuddy’ system and I’ll be more than happy to answer any questions regarding my studies, student life or studying through the medium of Welsh.