Beyond ‘the Bubble’
Laura Beveridge (MA Hons 2022) was recently named The Washington Post’s 2026 Stern-Bryan Fellow, a role that will see her covering this year’s midterm elections in Washington, DC. She reflects on her journalistic beginnings here at St Andrews with The Saint student newspaper and shares her experience working as a Junior Political Correspondent in London.
Despite being born and bred in Fife, St Andrews felt like a million miles from home. I quickly learned there was a reason for this: they call it ‘the Bubble’. It’s a world of its own, with unique traditions, jargon and a self-contained social ecosystem. As such, I never really felt the need to venture beyond St Andrews’ three streets in my four years at the University.
Having always been interested in current affairs, modern history and politics, the University of St Andrews’ International Relations programme seemed like the perfect fit on paper. I attended an open day where the friendly student ambassadors who showed me around and the enthusiastic professors who outlined the degree confirmed my feelings.
I arrived in St Andrews in 2018, a shy and slightly awkward teenager. But I left confident in my own abilities, excited to take on new challenges and with life-long friends.
From nervous fresher to Editor-In-Chief
In the second semester of my first year, I built up the confidence to pitch my first article to The Saint. To my fresher eyes, the editors seemed intimidating and omniscient. As a journalist in London today, I often run into my fellow Saint alumni – and we are, in fact, very friendly. Seeing my work in print and handing it out to students outside the Library or the Students’ Association affirmed to me that pursuing journalism was what I wanted to do with my life. That summer, I took on work placements with Edinburgh Evening News and Newsquest.
In my third year, we were in the midst of Covid-19 lockdown and I became Editor-In-Chief of The Saint, alongside Natalie Pereira (MA Hons 2021). I think the challenge of transitioning the newspaper from print to online issues kept me sane in my North Street flat.
Lectures and tutorials were moved online and while I, of course, missed those pre-class chats with other students, I never felt like the quality of teaching was diminished. In fact, I owe much of my ability to look at the world with curiosity and to think about things from a different perspective to my amazing lecturers in the School of International Relations, such as Dr Roxani Krystalli and Dr Natasha Saunders.
As I was finishing my final semester at the University, the world was opening back up post-lockdown. Seven friends and I celebrated completing our degrees by interrailing around Europe, before returning to St Andrews for graduation.
Making strides in political journalism
I moved to London to undertake a vocational qualification (NCTJ) in journalism. While studying, I emailed the new media outlet PoliticsJOE to ask for work experience. Luckily, the then-editor Oli Dugmore invited me in for a week and, afterwards, offered me a job!
Over three years, I progressed from Assistant Producer to Junior Political Correspondent. In that time, I’ve interviewed MPs, travelled the length and breadth of the UK, attended party conferences and stayed up all night at election counts. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better first job – or better mentors in the form of my editors and colleagues there. This year, they put me forward for a Rising Star Award at the Political Podcast Awards, which – somehow – I won.
In August, I’ll be leaving PoliticsJOE to work for The Washington Post, covering this year’s midterm elections. The four-month Stern-Bryan Fellowship is awarded to one early-career journalist each year.
When I moved to London, I found a network of friends made up of familiar and new St Andrews alumni. As there are famously a lot of American St Andrews alumni, I know that I’m going to find the same in Washington, DC, which makes the move across the Atlantic all the better.