Like so many of our students, Andrianna had no idea where her career would take her when she undertook her Sutton Trust programme back in 2007-08. We heard from her on her journey, her experience of her programme, and what she’s doing now.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

“I went to a state secondary school where I completed my GCSE’s and A Levels. I took part in various programmes to do with the law and by far the most beneficial one was the Pathways to Law Programme. I then did my LLB at BPP Law School, London Waterloo , once I graduated I took a year out of studying to focus on building my transferable skills in preparation for the LPC and my career. After a year of working, I enjoyed being in a legal environment so much that I decided to do the LPC part time at BPP Law School, London Holborn and work full time. I gained my training contract at Shoosmiths in 2019 and started as a Trainee Solicitor in September 2021.

What do you remember about your time on your Sutton Trust programme? 

“It was fantastic! I gained transferable skills from the programme which I still use today as trainee and the work experience I did was at Hogan Lovells which provided me with an insight of what it would be like to be a solicitor.”

Did you know what you wanted to do for a career before university?

“I wanted to do law from the age of 13 when I took part in a mock trial competition at school. In fact, the only reason I wanted to take part was because I got to play the role of the actual Defendant and I had to be placed in the witness box for cross examination with the remainder of the time behind the huge glass cell in handcuffs! I never thought I would want to be a lawyer but I have never looked back.”

Every story we collect from our alumni as part of our 25th celebrations, helps inspire the next generation of students to aim for careers they might never have thought of. If you, like Andrianna, want to share your story with us – just get in touch with the alumni team via [email protected].