About Me

Who am I?

My name is Tom Roberts and I am a student at the University of British Columbia, Podcast Producer at the IONA Journal of Economics and budding academic. Currently, I am studying in my second year of the International Economics program at the Vancouver School of Economics with an interest in research and academia. Passionate about many things, the issues surrounding refugees and asylum seekers particularly garner my attention due to my past work and volunteer experience giving me an increasing interest in the area. I hope one day to pursue academia and produce research of my own.

What is the purpose of this website?

This website is a creative outlet for me allowing me to blog and share my thoughts on various interesting topics, academic papers and share personal thoughts. Blogging about anything I deem relevant enough to talk about it allows me to keep my creative juices flowing and improve my writing skills. It is also a way to help market myself as an individual, during my first two years in my bachelors programme all of my classmates had been doing various things to make themselves more attractive when they job searched in their future. I felt fairly useless most of the time as I felt I could only focus on getting more and more research experience to best myself, until I decided to sit down and think what else can I do. While

Education, Experience, & Qualifications

Education

University of British Columbia, Vancouver

July 2020 - Present

Bachelor of International Economics

The Bachelor of International Economics is the Vancouver School of Economics' flagship program, a distinct four-year, cohort-based degree program with an acceptance rate below 4%. Students take core classes in finance, economics, and mathematics in a roster of classes offered by UBC's Sauder School of Business and UBC's Vancouver School of Economics - the top economics school in Canada. Students will graduate with a deep understanding of the workings of the global economy, as well as strong technical training that will allow them to enter careers in business, government and academia.

Cardiff High School, Cardiff

September 2013 - June 2020

A*AA, Mathematics, Economics, Physics, GCE Advanced Level (British Patterned System)

Cardiff High School is a comprehensive school teaching ages 11 to 18 years with the motto "Tua'r Goleuni" which translates from Welsh to English as "Toward the Light". Between 2013 to 2020 it ranked consistently in the top 5 secondary schools in the country.

Honours, Awards & Certifications:

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award, in-progress

Every aspect has been completed since 2019 but the final 5-day hike has been suspended due to COVID-19

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Silver Award, July 2018

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award, March 2017

Royal Yachting Association, Sailing Stage 4, May 2017

British Rowing, Rowing Level 3, April 2016

Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for Catering, August 2019

Sea Cadet Gun Crew National Champions, July 2013

Won all five cups available

Cardiff High School Sixth-Form Rugby Team, May 2018 - June 2020

- 2019/20 Welsh Cup Finalists (Cancelled due to COVID-19)
- 2019/20 East Wales U18 Premier Runnerup
- 2019/20 Most Capped Player
- 2018/19 East Wales U18 Premier Winners
- 2018/19 Blues Cup Winners
- 2018/19 Champions Cup Runnerup 2019/20

National Indoor Rowing Championship Finalist, May 2017

Experience

Podcast Producer, IONA Journal of Economics

November 2021 - Present

Vancouver, Canada

The IONA Asks podcast connects people passionate about economics with conversations about research, current events, and the future of our world. As a podcast producer, my responsibilities include conducting external research about the field of economics and internal research about UBC and prospective podcast guests, podcast production in preparation for interviews with featured guests, developing podcast ideas, content, and potential scripts alongside other producers.

Cook, Oasis Cardiff

August 2019 - December 2020

Cardiff, United Kingdom

Oasis Cardiff is a non-profit charity that has the primary aim and vision to help refugees and asylum seekers integrate within their local community. At Oasis, I worked in a food truck at festivals and an industrial kitchen on-site in Cardiff.

My responsibilities included the preparation and cooking of mass meals for refugees and asylum seekers, takeaway meals for customers, the planning of future meals for distribution to clients, distribution of meals and interacting with customers to satisfy their needs.

Volunteer, Oasis Cardiff

July 2016 - August 2019