WeAreTheCity’s Rising Star Awards are now in their seventh year.
The Rising Star awards were introduced to showcase the UK pipeline of female talent below management and to create female 100 role models across 25 different industries and professions.
Over the year’s, the awards have recognised over 600 women across the UK and India.
In this ongoing series, we speak to our winners about life after winning a Rising Star award.
We spoke to Sarah Mullin, who won a Rising Star in Education & Academia Award in 2020.
Sarah Mullin is a Deputy Headteacher and Doctor of Education student.
She is renowned for coaching and mentoring school leaders across the country and she presents at national education conferences and events for teachers. Sarah is the author of the Amazon number one best selling book ‘What They Didn’t Teach Me on My PGCE,’ a collection of over two hundred narratives written by teachers, for teachers. Sarah recently received the ‘Contribution to Education of the Year’ award for her significant and sustained work in the field of education.
How did you feel when it was announced that you’d won a Rising Star award?
I am absolutely delighted to have been named a Rising Star in Education and Academia. This is an award that is very special to me; I am incredibly passionate about the work that I do and to be recognised by WeAreTheCity is such an honour. There were a plethora of exceptional women nominated and shortlisted in this category – I am incredibly proud to be featured among them.
Please tell us what has happened in your career since winning the Rising Star award?
The support I received in my professional networks and on social media has been incredible; it is a genuine privilege to be able to inspire others to dream big, work hard and aspire to achieve their potential. Being named a ‘Rising Star in Education and Academia’ gave me such a confidence boost. I have drafted my second book which is due to be released in 2021 and my first bestselling book has since been published internationally. I have also been invited to contribute to many educational podcasts, journals, books and blogs – winning this wonderful award filled me with the courage to banish the imposter syndrome and embrace these fantastic opportunities. I have also enjoyed presenting at a range of virtual international conferences where I have had the opportunity to meet some incredible researchers, growing my professional learning network. I am currently in the final phase of my Doctorate in Education – I hope to graduate as Dr Sarah Mullin, Rising Star in Education and Academia, in 2021!
What advice would you give to someone else going through the award’s process?
Just being nominated for an award is an incredible accolade; it means that your hard work has been recognised. Enjoy the process safe in the knowledge that you truly deserve it. Share your successes with others – it is uplifting and inspiring to see other people doing well, and we all love to see positive news, especially during these challenging times that we are living in.
What tips would you give to our other members to enhance their careers?
For some reason, it can feel uncomfortable to talk about ourselves as positively as we talk about other people. We rise by lifting others, by championing one another’s achievements and by offering our sincere public praise. We need to learn that it is ok to celebrate our own achievements too, leading by example. Our words can be incredibly powerful – the words we use to describe ourselves can affect how others perceive us. This is probably my best advice, although I know from my own experience that it can be incredibly difficult to do! The way we talk to ourselves matters: let’s talk to ourselves the way we would talk to someone we truly care about.
