Lauren O'Hagan ( Research Associate for Language and Communication Research at Cardiff University)
Attended St Brendan's 2007 - 2009
Subjects Studied: Italian, Spanish, French Travel & Tourism and EPQ
Previous School: St Bernadette's RC
Lauren O'Hagan
After leaving St Brendan's, I studied Modern Languages (Spanish, Italian and Linguistics) with the Open University and graduated with a First Class Honours in 2014. Then, I set up my own company – B_Abel Linguistic Services – which offered translation and proofreading services. I worked with professional clients across the world, including Monarch Airlines, Google, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Minchō Magazine and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. I ran B_Abel Linguistic Services from 2014 until 2019 during which time I completed an MA in Applied Linguistics and a PhD in Language and Communication at Cardiff University. My PhD thesis was entitled 'Class, Culture and Conflict in the Edwardian Book Inscription: A Multimodal Ethnohistorical Approach.
I completed my PhD in September 2018. Shortly after, I was given the opportunity to work as a visiting scholar at Örebro University in Sweden. Here, I used the research methodology developed during my PhD to explore Victorian and Edwardian food packaging and advertising. I also supervised students undertaking an MA in Strategic Communication. I returned to the UK in summer 2019 and took up a position as research associate in the Centre for Language and Communication Research at Cardiff University. I am currently working on an ESRC-funded project entitled 'Reading, Writing and... Rebellion: Understanding Literacies and Class Conflict Through the Edwardian Book Inscription'. I still have a keen interest in foreign languages and have recently completed my A2 (CEFR) level in Swedish.
The subjects I studied at St Brendan's and the support I received from Sarah Morris and Anne Pernet were essential in starting me on my career pathway. I am very thankful for the opportunities that the college gave me.
