Let's Meet... Yelena D'Attoma

Yelena is standing in front of a wall covered in Egyptian hieroglyphs. She is wearing a blue dress and a white hat.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

“I’m Yelena, a former student of Queen Mary and now an employee. I majored in linguistics and was previously a teacher. I’ve been in the education industry for over a decade now. Before that, I worked in finance and insurance, but to be honest, I really enjoy working in higher education and for Queen Mary. I’ve had a long-standing relationship with this organization and my aunt used to teach Chemistry here.”

Can you tell us about your role?

“I’m the Hainan JEI Coordinator for Queen Mary's latest transnational education partnership with Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. Queen Mary has been partnered with them for over 20 years. We have the Beijing Joint Programme and now the latest partnership, which is the Hainan Joint Education Institute, located on the island of Hainan, China. If you don’t know much about the island of Hainan, well it’s described by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a ‘new frontier for regional and mutually beneficial cooperation’ – I think having a campus there is both practical and prodigious. It’s a beautiful, tropical island with picturesque beaches and diverse fauna and flora.

As the Coordinator, my role supports all teaching and learning aspects of operations. I manage administration, support the Director with quality and standard management, and collaborate with both internal and external colleagues to ensure educational standards are met and students are happy. I lead presentations, conduct workshops, deliver training, and develop processes and procedures. It’s quite a well-rounded role.”

 Can you tell us about the jobs you had before this one?

“After completing my undergraduate degree, I initially worked for local government, but that was just for a year before I pivoted into the finance and insurance industry. I worked for very large multinational insurance companies in a couple of roles. However, after some careful thought and an extended sabbatical, I transitioned into the field of education. I’ve always been passionate about learning new things, the value of education, and delivering training and sharing knowledge with others, so it felt like a natural transition for me. I’ve taught English to non-anglophone speakers and completed postgraduate studies to teach languages and linguistics. However, I decided that classroom teaching really wasn’t for me. Still, I wanted to stay within education, so I began working in education management and administration. I’ve had the luxury of gaining experience in almost every department within a higher education organization, and that’s really helped me in my current role.”

 What are you working on right now that you're excited about?

“I’m currently learning how to edit web pages and I’m also learning how to create and write content for the Hainan team, our school, and our faculty. I used to have my own blog, and as a student, I was asked to write for several student publications. I have a passion for writing and communication, and I’m excited that I’ve been given the opportunity to connect this personal passion and skill to my day job. It’s something I’m really looking forward to.”

What's a typical day like for you? 

“It depends on the time of year. At the beginning of the academic year, the focus is more on preparing for the new year, so that would be to welcome new students and get them ready for what is to come, ensuring the academic year is planned out and staff/students know what is happening and when, delivering presentations and workshops, and inducting new staff members. Along with colleagues, I brief new staff on life in China, the campus and facilities, and what to expect when working internationally and interculturally.

There are times of the year when the bulk of my workload involves auditing student records and managing student administration tasks, especially in the approach to exam seasons. At these times, a typical day would involve meetings with colleagues across different time zones, preparing communications for staff and colleagues, supporting the Hainan Director with a range of operational tasks, delivering training, and carrying out some basic research.

To be honest, I think my favourite time of year is the summer period, so June to August, because I can take stock of what’s happened in the previous year and then prepare for the new academic year.”

What advice would you give to someone starting in the field?

“As someone who has changed industries and careers, I know that it can take time to navigate shifts in working culture and practices. What I would say is, be open to learning, for one. If you are new to the field of education, be willing to hone your skills and do work collaboratively with others.

It’s also imperative to appreciate and understand the value of working with people from a wide range of backgrounds, respecting the fact that people have different ways of working and unique perspectives. Lastly, try not to take on too much (I know I’m guilty of this). When changing career paths or jobs, initially, there may be a temptation to say yes to every task or opportunity in an effort to learn and engage, but pace yourself. I could insert an adage here about not rushing but that may be a bit trite!"

How do you like to relax and recharge after work?

“I love to cook; that’s a passion of mine! I enjoy cooking for friends and family, and I’ve even set up an Instagram channel to showcase my culinary creations (it’s private, for now, until I get the hang of video editing). On occasion, I’ve brought food in to work to share with colleagues – that made for some interesting lunch time conversation! I’m trying to get the team to do a potluck but it’s hard to arrange when your colleagues are constantly in different countries and time zones!

I’ve also recently taken up gardening. Now that the weather’s nice, I’m planning on planting more. I’ve been very successful at growing mangetout and runner beans. Unfortunately, I’ve not had much luck with the garlic - the bulbs I planted a few weeks ago didn’t do well but they’re hardy plants, so I’ll give them a couple more weeks. I’ve also successfully grown a range of herbs (useful for my cooking) like parsley, basil, rosemary, sage, etc. I’m still learning but gardening is my new thing. It goes well with my love of cooking I could say.”

Do you have any hobbies or creative outlets you're passionate about?

“Aside from the cooking, I used to blog and write often, and I love taking photos. I’m not a professional photographer or anything like that, but if you ever come to the Hainan office, you’ll see that my section of the wall by my desk is covered in some of my travel photos. So yes, I do like to snap a few pictures when I can. I’m an avid reader, too, with a preference for anything related to Greek or Roman history.”