Eleanor Armstrong graduated with a Bachelor of Philosophy (Hons) and Diploma of Languages in 2020. She describes herself affectionately as a ‘sucker for stories’ who understands the present by learning about the past. Eleanor is a musician and speaks French, and enjoys interdisciplinary learning and communication, though her passions lie in the humanities.

“I definitely enjoy being busy in the traditional sense”, says Eleanor, “and have found that, since graduating, I have kept myself occupied with lots of different things from writing to hiking to crafts.”

When choosing a degree and university to study with, Eleanor said that even though she does have family connections to ANU, the real draw card for her was the Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) program.

“Alongside a Diploma of Languages, conducting in depth investigations across a number of disciplines  was something that would not be possible elsewhere. Beyond the academic offerings, the ‘feel’ that I got from the campus on Open Day made me feel like this was the place for me. The genuine passion of the students in sharing their enthusiasm about where they lived and studied was infectious.”

So what drew Eleanor to study sociology? The Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) is a four-year study program which offered Eleanor flexibility in her study and plenty of options for her specialisation.

“It was more a case of sociology choosing me to be honest!” she says, “I decided to try SOCY1002 on a whim in my second semester  because ‘Social Psychology’ sounded up my alley. I found the emphasis on context and people, which I had so enjoyed during my high school studies of English and history, instantaneously relatable to how I saw the world.” She goes on to say  “my interest was only further cemented upon taking the introductory sociology course ‘The Social World’ in my second year, instructed by Gavin Smith, who later became my supervisor.”

Eleanor goes on to express that the lecturers and tutors that she encountered while studying were wonderful and encouraged lateral thinking.  During her studies, Eleanor had the unique opportunity ito complete research projects which included mental health and identity, sport and populism, snakes and mythology and also canines and the military. She says, “the cherry on top was my Honours year in environmental sociology, where I examined the theme of community conservation in the wake of the ‘Black Summer’ bushfires.”

Now, Eleanor is now gearing up to commence full time work in the consulting sector, while currently working part time in retail.  She admits that her Honours year was quite challenging given the pandemic, stating that “I’ve taken my time in winding down from [a challenging Honours year] over the last few months!”.

Eleanor will be staying in Canberra (for now) – but looks forward to a future of travelling, hopefully internationally.  She states, “my 2019 exchange semester experience in Geneva really seems like a world away!”

And in terms of where Eleanor sees herself in five years, “If this year has shown me anything, it’s that even the best laid plans aren’t guaranteed to come to fruition. I could be anywhere from living in the UK, working in the private sector or studying a PhD, to living domestically, writing and implementing social policy on behalf of the government or not-for-profit. As long as I’m surrounded by good people and feel like I’m doing a good thing, I’ll be happy!”