Chloe Campbell
BA English Literature with American Studies 2014
Chloe is currently employed as the Publications Officer for Spectral Visions Press, an imprint of University of Sunderland Press. She is also the resident beauty columnist at HelloGiggles, a website run by actress Zooey Deschanel, for which she received an award last summer. In addition, she writes for the Guardian newspaper and their blog The Northener.
In April last year she was given the opportunity of a lifetime by presenting her academic work on a cult TV series to an American audience. Chloe was invited to speak at De Paul University in Chicago after writing a blog post about how Buffy the Vampire Slayer - which ended in 2003 - portrays a strong feminist message.
She explains: “I chose to write the piece on feminism in Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as I thought it was appropriate and combined two subjects I am passionate about. The blog post was discovered by Columbia College Chicago, who wished to republish the piece in their academic media-studies journal. They then invited me over to Chicago to be the guest speaker at their conference and to sit on the journal’s discussion panel.
“With the help of Steve Watts (Head of Department of Culture) and the Research Beacon, I attended the conference at DePaul University in Chicago, and I was subsequently named Contributor of the Month by the journal.
“It was a fantastic opportunity for me to liaise with the screenwriters of Buffy and to meet with academics from around the world. It was a brilliant chance for me to prove what I am capable of and I loved representing the university across the pond!”
While the 22-year-old has had great achievements such as being invited to Chicago and winning a 2014 National UK Blog Award in the Young Person category, she has also had some challenges.
Chloe explains: “Throughout my life, and especially my time at university, I have suffered with anxiety and social anxiety. My lecturers at university, especially Ian Elliot, David Fallon and Alison Younger, have been fantastic and extremely supportive in helping me manage and overcome my anxiety.”
When asking the graduate what attracted her to the University she has no hesitation in replying: “When I looked around the university on an open day, back before I enrolled as an undergraduate student, I was overwhelmed by the welcoming and passionate atmosphere.
It’s an understatement to say that I enjoyed taking English at the University of Sunderland! It really has been a life-changing experience for me.”
Chloe’s future plans are to keep working in the publishing industry, whilst continuing to write. She adds: “I’d love to return to the University and complete an MA in English too!”