The winner of the Bafta Cymru Award is a student at Cardiff University and is grateful to Welsh-medium higher education for opening doors.
In addition to being awarded for receiving the highest final mark on the International Relations programme at Cardiff Unversity School of Law and Politics, over the last three years, Emily Pemberton, 21, from Grangetown, has had success outside university too, including receiving the Bafta Cymru Award for contributing to the S4C programme, ‘Pawb a’i Farn: Black Lives Matter’.
In a video on the Coleg Cymraeg’s YouTube channel discussing the benefits of studying through the medium of Welsh, Emily said that her path through life would have been very different if her mum hadn’t decided to send her to a Welsh school. Since leaving Ysgol Plasmawr in Cardiff, Emily has continued to study through the medium of Welsh at university and is very eager to urge other people to take advantage of the same opportunities that she received.
Below, Emily reflects on her time at university and the fact that one of the most significant events in the USA’s most recent history, namely the murder of George Floyd, and the revival of the Black Lives Matter movement, took place when she was in her first year. She speaks very openly about the emotional effect of that horrific event and how that led to the subject of her dissertation.
Question and Answer:
What was your experience of living through the revival of Black Lives Matter?
The experience hasn’t been easy because seeing and reading about conversations about racism every day has been difficult on an emotional level. Personally, it has been one of the most difficult periods of my life, but at the same time, I have gained strength from the crowds of people across the world who protested. It was incredible to see so many young people out on the streets standing up and saying enough is enough.
Why were you so eager to write about the subject for your dissertation?
I have been extremely interested in the Black Lives Matter movement since the Ferguson protests in 2014. Some think that the movement is a new one that was established in 2020, but it has existed for years, and it’s only now that people have started to take note. I was eager to research the protests in Wales specifically because there was so much coverage, positive and negative. I was eager to analyse how the Black Lives Matter movement coexists with the general structures in Wales, as well as looking to the future.
Describe your upbringing
I was brought up in Grangetown in Cardiff, and I had a very happy childhood with many good friends. I was always busy doing different hobbies, and I’m still as busy today!
Why were you drawn to stay in Cardiff to study at university, and to study through the medium of Welsh?
I feel at home in Cardiff and I had no desire to go too far because there are so many things to do in the city. Also, the university is a good one. At the beginning, I wasn’t 100% sure if I wanted to continue studying through the medium of Welsh, but I’m so glad that I did! By the last year, I studied 50% of the modules through the medium of Welsh and, now, I’m following a Masters degree studying International Relations and carrying out research at the university.
What additional opportunities have you had as a result of studying at the university?
I have had many opportunities outside university including working part time for Mudiad Meithrin, and the company Deryn undertaking political monitoring work. In addition, I have been part of a production team and a contributor for the S4C programmes, ‘Terfysg yn y Bae’, and ‘Pawb a’i Farn: Black Lives Matter’, which won the Bafta Cymru Award last year. I was so glad that this important subject had been recognised in Wales, and it was an honour to receive the award on the night, which meant so much to my community. I’m so grateful for the opportunities that I have received so far and I’m starting to realise that everything that I have achieved has happened through the medium of Welsh. I’m working in Welsh, socialising in Welsh, and studying in Welsh. It is very clear that my path in life over the years has been very different to that of my friends who don’t speak the language.
What inspires you?
The community in Grangetown.
What is your ambition for the future?
I would like to do a bit more research on race and skin colour in Wales. But my biggest desire is to be happy and healthy.
What makes you happy?
Black coffee and good chocolate.
What makes you angry?
People who walk slowly!
What is the best country that you have travelled to?
Ghana.
Do you have any advice for school pupils who are considering studying their course through the medium of Welsh?
Go for it and don’t overthink it! You will have plenty of opportunities, and the valuable skill of being able to discuss your specialist subject blinigually. I look forward to the future, to living bilingually and I would like to continue to prove that anything is possible by speaking Welsh.
Watch a video of Emily at the Black Lives Matter protests in Cardiff in 2020 when she was in her first year at college.