Hi, I’m Rachel and I hail from Omagh in Northern Ireland. I studied English Literature at Queen’s University in Belfast, and now I’m in Stirling studying the MLitt in Publishing Studies, so I’d say it’s obvious that a love of reading has always driven my life choices.

I have been a book nerd for as long as I can remember. As a child, I always had my nose stuck in a book, getting lost in the fictional worlds created by Roald Dahl and, of course, JK Rowling. Therefore, you can imagine my excitement when I realised that I could actually make a living out of books!

I’d have to say the defining moment for me was when I took part in my school’s Young Enterprise team. Our product was an educational children’s book about robots. I loved the entire process of taking an idea on paper to presenting the finished physical product at the Northern Ireland finals. That was when I knew I had to turn my love of books into a career.

Now that I’m actually here studying the publishing industry, I can’t wait to explore all the options that are available to me: from editorial to production, marketing to distribution. My dream job would be to work in children’s publishing as I love the idea of playing a role in inspiring and shaping new generations of book worms (apologies for all that cheese). I know Stirling will provide me with all the skills and knowledge I need to make that dream happen, so I guess the rest is down to me.