Rowena Gutsell

PhD student in English literature, seeking roles in the charity sector, HR, and publishing.

2022 – Present

2022 – 2023

2022

2021 – 2022

2021 – Present

2021-22

2021-22

2020- 22

2019-20

2018-19

2016-18

Barista, Missing Bean Roastery Café 

• Barista and keyholder at Missing Bean Roastery Café.
• Duties include: opening and closing café, dialing in and closing down coffee machine, preparing a range of hot drinks and food items, and maintaining a detailed knowledge of specialty coffee and ethical trade within the business and wider industry.

• Supervised two undergraduate final-year dissertation projects on modern and contemporary literature: one on Joan Didion and Eve Babitz, and one on the mimeograph revolution in 1960s New York.

• Proofreading and editing chapters of Dr. Wendy Xin’s forthcoming monograph, The Secret Lives of Plot (Princeton University Press).

• Assisted in the delivery of Prof. David Russell’s third-year seminar, ‘The Good Life: Literature, Film, Morality.’
• Responsibilities included: monitoring student attendance, facilitating class discussion, marking student essays, and leading tutorials. In the seminar’s sixth and final week, I delivered a class on Iris Murdoch’s ethical fiction.

• Acting as a confidential point of contact for graduate students experiencing welfare difficulties.
• Undertook 30 hours of intensive training in pastoral support, active listening, harm prevention, and crisis management.

• Organised weekly ‘welfare tea’ event for Exeter’s graduate students with the welfare team, buying and preparing food and managing a budget of £400 per term.
• Monitored ‘welfare support’ email inbox, confidentially supporting students with pastoral concerns. 
• Met fortnightly with Exeter’s welfare team to represent the welfare needs of Exeter’s graduate community and plan in-College events.

• Ran one-on-one tutorials with new undergraduate students, to help ease the transition from state school to university.
• Curated reading lists and provided detailed essay feedback.

• Volunteer position, providing tailored, one-to-one tuition for state-school students affected by Covid-related school closures.
• Topics covered: English Language (GCSE), WW1 poetry (KS3), J. B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls (GCSE), Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (GCSE).

• Freelance work for magazines, charitable organisations, creative and tech industries.
• Worked independently and creatively to tight deadlines, adjusting to a wide range of topics and styles.
• Developed proficiency in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and keyword searches, improving visibility of content across search engines for clients.

• Acted as confidential point of contact for students seeking welfare (especially LGBTQ+ and disability) support.
• Organised regular events with college welfare committee (brunch; socials; alcohol awareness roadshow).
• Worked alongside other university associations to improve postgraduate inclusivity and participation at LGBTQ+ events.

• Planned and delivered college tours for prospective students.
• Lead Q&A sessions about university life, for a range of audiences.

• Timetabled and invigilated candidates’ pre-interview readings.
• Worked collaboratively with a team of 8 helpers to create a safe and supportive environment for candidates.

• Provided high-quality customer service whilst resolving complex customer enquiries.
• Professionally managed the demands of several roles within a single shift (tills; assisting customers on shop floor; picking items in the warehouse).
• Moved between two branches on request, adapting to different team dynamics and store procedures.

BA in English Language and Literature, University of Oxford - First Class Honours

MA in English Literary Studies, Durham University - Distinction

DPhil in English, University of Oxford - Pending