Motivational Monday – Senior Policy Manager

Class of 2015 alumna Lily Ross came to impart wisdom to Sixth Formers about her work at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

At South Hampstead, Lily studied History, French and Psychology for her A Levels. She went on to study History at the University of Bristol, focusing on topics such as African and Asian history. She was part of many social action societies at university, and after graduating from university in 2018, she began working for the NGO Prisoners Abroad.

After travelling in South America for a few months, she worked on a Restless Development programme in Uganda, focused on human rights and youth empowerment. She then joined the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), working in the Syria Unit in her first year. She started the Civil Service Fast Stream before taking a year out to complete a masters in Human Rights and International Development at LSE. She then returned to the FCDO, and has since worked on numerous global crises and travelled to the UN in New York, Ghana and the UAE to name a few. Lily will soon be posted as a diplomat in Iraq.

During her engaging talk to Sixth Formers, Lily noted how South Hampstead prepped her for her career.

‘South Hampstead teaches you to think critically about the world, and to challenge the belief that particular jobs should just be for men. If I hadn’t had the privilege of going to South Hampstead, I would not be where I am now.’