Hannah Marmaro
Hannah is an international graduate, currently pursuing a law degree at Penn State Law. After completing a BA in Literature and History at Newcastle (2018), she studied an MA at Oxford and ultimately decided to transition into the legal field with a view of becoming a Trusts and Estates Attorney.
About Hannah's career
Describe your current role:
I am a law student at Penn State Law, finishing up my second year of a three-year program. I will be interning this summer at Dentons, Cohen & Grigsby in their Trusts and Estates department.
The best thing would be the potential the degree offers: there is so much support from all the staff. Students are put in a great position to follow their interests and really find out what they are capable of achieving
How did you get into this field after studying Literature and History at Newcastle?
After I studied Literature and History at Newcastle, I did a Master’s in Victorian literature at Oxford. I loved my time studying Literature and History but ultimately decided to transition into the legal field. I am about to enter my last year of law school and am looking forward to a career as a Trusts and Estates attorney.
Studying Literature and History at Newcastle University
How has studying Literature and History at Newcastle helped you in your career?
The transition from English and History to Law was a natural one – the reading, writing and research skills I gained in my degree from Newcastle has benefited me in so many ways. The degree has helped me in quantifiable ways, from the lines on my resume to the writing experience, and it has also helped me in more abstract (but still important!) ways. I grew so much as a person during the course of my degree, and that has had a huge impact on my ability to interact and work with others regardless of the career setting.
What advice would you give to a student interested in studying Literature and History?
My first piece of advice would be to pursue a Literature and History degree at Newcastle. Beyond that, I would tell the student to take advantage of the unique position the joint degree gives them and explore the connections between classes in the two Schools. The Joint Degree is all about connections and the ways that the overlap between the two subjects leads to a richer understanding of both, and students can really take advantage of this by planning out their courses.
What was the best thing about studying Literature and History at Newcastle?
It is hard to pick one best thing – the city is a wonderful place to live in and explore, the degree offers the best of two worlds in terms of resources and content, and the staff at Newcastle are supportive and encouraging to a degree that is rare to find. All in all, my time at Newcastle was the best time of my life! But I think that if I had to pick one best thing, it would be the potential the degree offers: there is so much support from all the staff that students are put in a great position to follow their interests and really find out what they are capable of achieving.
