Reading graduates cruise into the past

Monday, 25 October 2010

From l-r - Kayleigh Palmer, Jessica Dollard, Zoe Bromley-Fox

Three recent graduates spent the summer putting the knowledge they gained here at Reading to good use, sailing around the Mediterranean with luxury cruise company Voyages to Antiquity.

The firm hired Kayleigh Palmer (English with Classical Studies, 2009), Jessica Dollard (Classical Studies and English Literature, 2009), and Zoe Bromley-Fox (Classics, 2010) to share their Classical knowledge with passengers, as part of ship's customer services and shore excursions teams. 

The job offered the opportunity to build their CVs and acquire important skills in responsible roles while visiting many of the sites they have read about during their studies, including Greece, Italy, Sicily, north Africa, Egypt, and the Near East.

Zoe Bromley-Fox, who has now been promoted to Assistant Shores Manager, said "It's great to find a job after graduation that allows me to build on my experience in customer service and also make direct use of subjects I enjoyed studying at University."

Simon Tiffin, from Voyages to Antiquity, said, "We were very lucky to recruit Reading graduates Kayleigh, Jess and Zoe who put their Classical knowledge to good use, helping the passengers to get the most from their holiday. The Reading trio were a great asset and a joy to have aboard."

Also aboard this summer was University of Reading Classics Department lecturer Dr Matthew Nicholls, who accompanied passengers to sites in Greece and Italy and gave a programme of lectures, along with colleagues Professor James Higginbotham (Bowdoin University) and Cambridge's Professor Mary Beard.