Taz Usher studied BA English Language and Linguistics.
When she was in her final year, she edited the student newspaper The Spark, and was named the winner of the Best Impact category of the South East Regional Student Publication Association Awards for her article on sexual consent and safety.
The article, which appeared in The Spark鈥檚 fresher鈥檚 edition in September 2019, featured advice for new students on where they could access support services while at university. Taz said:
"As editor of The Spark I feel a responsibility to provide readers with a mixture of content which they can enjoy and learn from as well as that which they can turn to for guidance on issues which are characteristic of the student experience."
"The article's headline 'Let's talk about Sex and Safety' aimed to capture the new students' attention by presenting the topics as things which we shouldn't be embarrassed to talk about.
"Winning the award meant a lot to me as it reminded me why I give up so much time to The Spark each week. However, as for any journalist, learning that your work has had the impact you intended is a reward in itself."