Jen #mixedmonday

Hi I'm Jen, I love writing, drawing and anything creative. That said, writing this has felt a bit out of my comfort zone, but I've loved reading about other women in this series so, here I am! I live in Bristol with my boyfriend, and grew up in Reading in a predominantly white area and school. In some ways I didn't notice this at the time, but looking back, I probably understand more now about how this shaped parts of my upbringing. It was moving to Bristol for university that really made me feel like I'd come home with the eclectic mix of people, cultures and ideas.

I'm a social media lead for a university service that helps international students across the UK find graduate jobs and access careers advice.

How would you describe your ethnicity?

I've always referred to myself as mixed but more recently taken the terms dual or mixed heritage as I feel they sit better for me. These weren't even terms I was particularly aware of previously but like lots of people, I've learnt a lot in recent years and part of that is understanding what feels comfortable for you.

My Mum came to the UK for her nursing degree over 50 years ago from Trinidad and my Dad was born in England, so I grew up with the British side of my family. That distance from my family in Trinidad definitely added a layer of separation from me being able to immerse myself in Trini culture as none of Mums side of the family live here. Growing up in the UK I've always been in predominatly white spaces, which has never been an issue but I would like to say a little thankyou to @_beyond_the_mix here as this is the community I didnt even realise I needed!

I have an incredible network of friends and family but meeting other women with such similar backgrounds to me has been quite eye opening. I went to the Beyond the Mix Healing Hair event and I can't explain how amazing it felt to talk to other women about hair who just got it, it was surprising how much of a connecting topic it was. Often you get categorised and hair is a great example of that. Mixed hair often doesn't quite fit into a Black hair or Caucasian curls category because it's neither, and the space for that nuance is pretty small so it's been empowering to find this space opening up for me that fits so well.

Has your mixed-ness influenced your career in any way?

I don't think it influenced my choice of career, but having a mixed identity has helped within my role as I work with international students so it's has been useful to help identify some of their needs.

If you could describe your mixed identity in one word what would it be?

Duality

What is the best thing about being mixed heritage?

I love where I come from and the differences that make up both sides of my family. The best part is probably having that culture clash but being sat happily in the middle getting to see and enjoy both sides.