Nicola Gray
BA Media, Culture and Communications 2012
Position and company: Digital Marketing Manager at Sainsbury's Bank
Nicola has shared her inspiring journey from uncertainty in her academic path to becoming one of the best-emerging marketers in the world.
Nicola graduated with a BA in Media, Culture and Communications in 2012, initially planning to study in her hometown of York. However, after receiving her A-Level results, she decided to embrace the adventure of university life away from home and chose Sunderland through the clearing process.
"I loved the sound of the course and living by the coast," she recalled.
She continued: “During school and college, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do next, the majority of my friends were going onto university after college and so it felt like the thing that I should do… I didn’t have a firm idea of what I wanted to do for a career, so I picked a course that I thought sounded interesting and could incorporate my strengths and went from there! Although I didn’t know at the time if university was for me, I’m so glad I went as it really encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone, and to explore different opportunities I wouldn’t normally have done.”
Throughout her university experience, Nicola found her niche in a varied curriculum that allowed her to tailor her studies to her interests. She said: “I enjoyed the feminism and sexual cultures modules – subjects that weren’t explored in school and college. In addition, some of the core modules such as linguistics helped me develop skills that, even though I didn’t realise at the time, helped me to have such strong attention to detail in future job roles.”
The programme’s coursework focus, as opposed to exams, was particularly beneficial, helping her to thrive academically.
Since graduating, Nicola has forged a successful career in marketing and communications, with a specialisation in digital roles. Her position at Asda Money involved rebuilding the company's website, which ignited her passion for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Today, she manages SEO for Sainsbury’s Bank and was notably recognised in 2021 as one of The Drum’s Future 50, an annual list highlighting the best emerging marketing talent worldwide.
She said: “It was such a huge and unexpected achievement.”
Reflecting on her university experience, Nicola emphasises the critical skills she developed.
She explained: “Prior to my university studies, I hadn’t realised the importance of research and critical thinking. Writing essays and my dissertation really developed my understanding for the importance of both – which in marketing and communications roles are such important elements of your everyday work.”
For prospective students considering their path in higher education, Nicola advised: “If, like me, you don’t have a set career path in mind, study what interests you and what you’re passionate about, and build relationships with your lecturers – they’ve got life experience and can help you focus on your strengths and what you enjoy, and how they can be transferable in the real world and to kick start your career.
“Also, I can’t stress the importance of work experience! I worked throughout my time at university to support my living, so I thought I had ‘work experience’ – but I didn’t seek out any internships etc to enable me to get experience in the types of roles I wanted to apply for when I left university, which then led to the biggest struggle I had when starting my career.”
Nicola sums up her time at the University of Sunderland as life-changing, stating: “It gave me the direction I needed to start my career and the independence and confidence to go and do so once I’d graduated!”