Parents & Families
Counselors

Lara Hickson

About me

I was born and raised in the Scottish Highlands, and until I heard about IE University, that’s where I planned to stay. I met an IE University representative at an event held by my school, and before I knew it, I was moving to Segovia—a big decision as I’d barely left my village before. After spending two years there, I moved to the Madrid campus, where I’m currently in my final year of the Bachelor in Politics, Law and Economics (PLE). I won’t be leaving yet though—I’m taking an extra year to graduate with a second bachelor’s degree specifically in Law, and then I plan to do a master’s degree. I like to engage in a lot of extracurricular activities alongside my studies, such as exploring my artistic and musical side.

Lara Hickson
Undergraduate student
Icono Punto en el mapaIcono Punto en el mapaMap point IconMap point iconScottish Highlands
Bachelor in Philosphy, Politics, Law and Economics

"We should use our privilege to support those who haven’t had the same opportunities as us in life. The ancient Greeks said it best: ‘a society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit."

Lara Hickson

From the Scottish Highlands to the Spanish capital: Lara Hickson’s experience at IE University

Scotland is home to many lawyers, and it can be hard to stand out from the competition. It was this realization, combined with ambitions to work in the NGO sector, that convinced Lara Hickson to study PLE at IE University instead of law in Scotland. She was also drawn to IE University’s international profile and the unrivaled professional opportunities that are available to students once they graduate.

Speaking of career prospects, Lara feels very supported by the careers department at IE University. Despite always having a vague idea of her professional aspirations, Talent & Careers has helped refine her CV and has given her guidance on specific job opportunities to apply for. But it’s not just the careers department that has supported her—she’s been really inspired by professors who have shown her new fields of law that she didn’t feel capable of pursuing before.

And Lara’s certainly got plenty of options for her future. She hopes to find a career in the field of human rights law, preferably within an NGO, as she believes we should use our privilege to help those who are less fortunate than us. She lives by the ancient Greek maxim, “a society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.” Additionally, her degree has helped her realize she has an affinity for data and privacy law, and would be thrilled to land a career within that area as well. But despite her keen aspirations for her professional future, Lara isn’t quite finished with education yet. Once she’s completed her bachelor’s program, she’d like to take on a master’s degree at IE University before entering the world of work.

Like many budding legal professionals, Lara understands the importance of gaining experience alongside her studies. She may have been unable to find an in-person internship last year because of the pandemic, but that didn’t stop her from trying to find alternatives. Eager to boost her CV, she found out about a virtual access internship through the careers department, and jumped at the opportunity to take part over summer. Lara says she’d recommend the experience to anyone—it’s easy to do in your spare time and you learn a great deal about the area of your choice.

Additionally, in her first year at IE University, Lara took part in the Legal Lab, which expanded her professional horizons and formalized a lot of career paths for her. And more recently, she was selected for the Ontier Mentoring Experience, and was the only third-year student and native speaker to take part. This was an incredibly reassuring and enriching experience for Lara, as she was able to speak to junior lawyers and learn about how much they love their careers—something she says isn’t spoken about enough.

Lara is an advocate for extracurricular activities, whether they’re related to academics or not. She encourages new students to get involved as much as possible—they’re a great place to meet interesting people and sharpen up your CV. Throughout her time at IE University, Lara has been involved in the Law Society as well as the Women in Business Club and the PLE Society. She’s also recently joined the Ethics and Compliance Club which she hopes to start collaborating with soon.

In her spare time, Lara likes to practice her hobbies. She particularly likes sports, and joined the women’s soccer team when she started IE University. Now she spends more time boxing with her former teammates—an activity she thoroughly enjoys. Another of her great passions is music, and joining the Music Club at IE University really helped her to get back into it, especially since she trained as an opera singer when she was younger.

Lara is also a skilled artist and designer—a talent that’s come in handy during her time at IE University with all of the presentations she has to do. She also helps some of the clubs to design posters, and she’s even created posters for a few startups. In addition, Lara has started working for an international student-led online newspaper where she acts as a design consultant and social media manager—an opportunity that wouldn’t have been possible without help from some of her peers at IE University.

Lara’s future certainly looks bright, even if she’s not sure where it’ll take her. While she hopes to build her career in Spain, she’s open to international opportunities too. We look forward to seeing how everything pans out for her after her time with us at IE University!

IE - REINVENTING HIGHER EDUCATION