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In June 2025, we profile UCL BA European Social and Political Studies student and 2024-25 European Institute Student Ambassador, Hayley Anderson.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m Hayley, a final-year European Social and Political Studies student, specialising in Hungarian and History. I was born and grew up in Australia, but have now lived in London for over a decade. I’m also half-Hungarian, which was the precedent to studying Hungarian and reconnecting with that side of my identity at UCL.
While I was on my year abroad in Budapest last year I joined an Australian football team, which was truly the two halves of my identity colliding! Otherwise, I’m big on reading and always on the search for interesting book recommendations from around the world.
What areas or topics of study are you interested in, and how have you explored them at UCL?
My dissertation was a representation of research interests I’ve been able to cultivate while at UCL. I focused on a small town in Eastern Slovakia which is a contact zone of minoritisation, marginalisation and which experiences complex dynamics in regards to identities and livelihoods. I’m super interested in how difficult histories are grappled with in small town settings, and my dissertation centred on reconstruction projects that are relying on civic participation to uncover buried or unacknowledged pasts.
I’m really passionate about conversations around identity and language more generally, and how these themes intersect with literature and culture. As a Student Ambassador for the European Institute and a Student Associate for the Platform of Linguistic and Epistemic Justice, I had the privilege of interviewing the wonderful Ciara Broderick for the European Institute's Talking Europe Podcast, which was a delight. It was so interesting to learn more about the context of the Irish language in literature, translation and the formation of identity. Ciara is also this year’s Writer in Residence, and is producing a piece for the European Literary Map of London. As an immigrant myself, it has been so positive to see the experience of immigration, specifically in this setting of London, being explored in such a nuanced and intricate way. I can really recommend giving the podcast episode a listen, but it was also so valuable to be able to explore topics I’m passionate about in such an amazing format! I’m incredibly grateful for the European Institute for having facilitated this.
Why are you interested in Europe?
I think I’ve had the privilege of experiencing Europe from very different perspectives. Having grown up in Australia, the sense of distance is difficult to express until you’re there to witness it yourself. In contrast, being from a part of Central East Europe where I can travel a couple of hours (by train!) and be somewhere completely different will always be exciting to me.
I was also in my early-teens when Brexit happened, and I think it was one of the first times I had confront the potential impact of politics on my own livelihood, particularly as an immigrant. I’m very grateful that London retains the dynamic qualities which made me feel so at home when I first arrived, but experiencing Europe both internally and externally has made me very aware of its invaluable qualities.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Truthfully, I’m still unsure on the specifics. What I do know is that I’d love to be working in an area which feels international and impactful. The academic sphere sounds super exciting to me, and I love the sound of being an expert and contributing to an area of research which is not yet in the spotlight.