{"id":38702,"date":"2025-03-17T16:13:58","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T16:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/?p=38702"},"modified":"2025-03-17T16:13:59","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T16:13:59","slug":"alumni-spotlight-rising-star-rashagini-rajakumar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/2025\/03\/17\/alumni-spotlight-rising-star-rashagini-rajakumar\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni spotlight: Rising Star Rashagini Rajakumar\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 2024 Rashagini Rajakumar (LLB (Hons) Bachelor of Law 2020) was shortlisted for a Rising Star Award in our Alumni Awards programme<\/a>. As the Security and Communications Lead at the Ministry of Defence, she had quickly been promoted and earned praise for her ability to collaborate and adapt to complex challenges within fast-paced environments. We spoke to Rasha about her time at CCCU, her thoughts on the Civil Service and her plans for the future.
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What did you enjoy most about your time at CCCU and what do you feel you gained most from your Law Degree?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had the most memorable time at CCCU due to the supportive and close-knit community. No matter how small or large the classes were, professors ensured that they dedicated time to the students who were eager and keen to study. I also loved being in Canterbury itself, a city with so much history and character, which added a unique element to my university experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From my law degree, I gained a strong foundation in legal analysis and research, as well as valuable skills in critical thinking and writing. The course helped me develop a deeper understanding of the legal system, and I feel that it has prepared me to approach complex issues from multiple perspectives. I also gained a sense of ethical responsibility, which I know will, and has, guided me throughout my career in law so far. Overall, my time at the university really sharpened my ability to think critically and communicate effectively; skills I am finding significantly invaluable in my career journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What made you choose to pursue a career in the Civil Service?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following on from the completion of my law degree I did MSc Business Management with my LPC at the University of Law, with the plan to follow into the traditional legal path of obtaining a training contract and eventually qualifying as a solicitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I started shopping. Shopping for jobs, that\u2019s when I came across the Civil Service, before then I had never heard about it. I saw an EO position as a caseworker at the Home Office and was successful in my application. A year into the role, I applied for a promotion and got the job at the Ministry of Defence as a HEO Security Risk Support Advisor, I didn\u2019t find the role as competitive hence, applied for another promotion to an SEO, which I am now, Security and Communications Lead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“The culture is amazing, and people are willing to push you if they see your potential.\u00a0 As a new graduate, I recommend looking at Civil Service jobs, due the great number of opportunities.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What advice would you give to current students and alumni thinking about following a similar career path?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would encourage everyone to trial and test, you never know what lies ahead. I strongly suggest getting experience in the private and public sector to give you more of an opportunity to make the right decision. You should have no regrets!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Could you tell us a little more about your voluntary roles?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am an Asian by background, my parents were immigrants. I didn\u2019t grow up amongst people who were able to advise me on what qualifications are important or what I should become. I had to face struggles in everything. Getting an internship, work experience, shadowing opportunity, everything!  I know how hard it is having to start from scratch. Hence, I started volunteering for Business Education events where I go to schools and do hands on work with them as to how we build a business and make it become successful. Once I started to see a positive impact on others, I started doing it on a regular basis. Whenever I have some availability, I consider volunteering. In acknowledgement of this I was given the title Social Mobility Ambassador for the Ministry of Defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What inspires you and where would you like to be in 5 years\u2019 time?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My family is my pillar. There have been times and days where I have doubted myself, especially when it came to applying for promotions. However, I realise that only I have the power to change my future. Having gained experiences in various sectors has opened many doors for me. Allowing me to choose from many options, of which I currently have three: I can become a Grade 6 Civil Servant (2 promotions from where I am now); I can undergo a training contract and become a qualified solicitor; or my third option is to gain an additional 2\/3 years of experience and move into the private sector. I am lucky and thankful to be in a position to be able to still have all these doors open. I would strongly advise anyone to have as many options as possible, it can take you very far.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2024 Rashagini Rajakumar\u00a0(LLB (Hons) Bachelor of Law 2020) was shortlisted for a Rising Star Award in our Alumni Awards programme.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":352486,"featured_media":38706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,22,42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-updates","category-announcements","category-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"authorName":"Celia Pearce","featuredImage":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/750\/2025\/03\/Rashagini-Rajakumar.jpg","postExcerpt":"In 2024 Rashagini Rajakumar\u00a0(LLB (Hons) Bachelor of Law 2020) was shortlisted for a Rising Star Award in our Alumni Awards programme.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/352486"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38702"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38714,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38702\/revisions\/38714"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}