Lucy Patterson

Background

About Lucy Patterson

Biology consistently stood out as the area for me; rational, systematic and above all interesting- the novelty of the infinite strategies for life we take for granted around us is mind-blowing. My curiosity for the natural world fuelled me to study zoology as I got to tackle big questions such as evolution, learn skills right down to the microscopic level, and was even fortunate enough to participate in field trips to France and through scholarship to Uganda. Approaching completion of my zoology degree I was on track to apply the quantitative, visual, and analytical skills I had developed to a career in finance… then I was hospitalised with Covid. My mum has always said ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ and although it was hard to see one, she was right. I re-evaluated what I want from my career- life is too short to work without passion- Conservation is a high priority in my career, but I don’t aim to take a direct stance on it instead I feel my skills will be better applied to a role where I could influence societal and commercial decisions to act sustainably- Communicating with people to develop productive, positive relationships is a particular strength of mine that I would love to utilise in my career- I would like to have data driven goals to motivate me and allow me to assess for areas of weakness so I can constantly develop professionally. Under the circumstances in my graduating year I felt it was most productive to embark on a PGCE in secondary science and although I enjoyed it, I still believed my impact on sustainability could be stronger felt elsewhere. I am happy to now be working on the other side of education, supporting higher and further education providers to embed sustainability across their institutions curriculums. It's been great to join a community of sustainably conscious educators and other staff in the sector. I hope to grow this network further to achieve the SDGs as a united force.