Sylwia Graham

How did you first hear about/get involved with PAMIS?
I came across PAMIS through University of Dundee recruitment website. I saw the job advertisement that met all my hopes and requirements at the time. I could not dream about a better opportunity.

What inspired you to work with PAMIS?
I started working for PAMIS in October 2011. At the time I was hoping to join an inspirational place with legacy and get the job more demanding than the one I had at the time. I was thrilled when I got offered a position after the initial interview. I was aware that there would have been a lot of competition for this type of post especially that PAMIS is based at the University of Dundee in the Department of Education and Social Work giving endless opportunities for further professional development.
Since I started, I have met so many amazing people and learnt so much that I became a different person altogether. It is one of the milestones in life that was definitely meant to be.

What is your role?
My main role is Finance and HR. However, during my time in PAMIS I was involved in a range of undertakings. At the beginning of my time here, I designed and implemented a nation-wide relational database of service users. More recently I worked on a data collection and analysis system, which I hope in the future will be developed even further in order to replace current reporting structures for Service Level Agreements and numerous Funding Reports.

What are your areas of expertise?
During my career so far, I have worked in a number of organizations with various business profiles in order to gain a lot of experience and knowledge from different backgrounds.

I started my University education with BA(Hons) in Business English, then followed by BA(Hons) in English Linguistics.
Then, I moved to Scotland and completed BA(Hons) in Social Science through EU Articulation Scheme.

For my Masters degree I chose Information Technology field and conducted an inter-disciplinary research combining computing and sociology.

I was also attending numerous Professional and Personal Development trainings studying Finance and HR.

At the moment I have put my career on a temporary hold and am working part-time at the same time completing professional qualifications in Accounting.

I am also developing my Management and Coaching skills and knowledge in order to strengthen my professional portfolio.

What does working at PAMIS mean to you?
Working for an organization that makes a positive impact on our society is a privilege. During my professional career, I decided that this type of employer profile is where I want to settle for longer. It is a people-orientated place where we all develop both professionally and personally. We all feel like links in a chain- all our jobs and skills are important in order to develop PAMIS and its legacy and ultimately make the world a better place for other people.

What is a typical day for you? Day to day functions?
I work with Director of Finance. We make sure that all aspects of financial management of a charity organization are looked after. We are overlooking finances for numerous projects and campaigns making sure that the resources are spend in the best possible way.

Tell us something we wouldn’t guess about you?
I am a strong believer in karma and righteousness. I believe that our actions and intentions behind them come back to us.

Why do you think it’s important for people to know about PAMIS and the services they provide?
Knowing about PAMIS and its services is very important for everyone in order to open for the needs of others. The beauty of the world is based on variety and diversity, not only on success and perfection. For me, nobody is disabled- we are all able to do different things on different levels. But it does not mean that anyone should 'label' others. Even the most vulnerable people are teaching the rest of us very valuable lessons. It is important for people to know about PAMIS to understand better children and adults with special needs.

What is your motto, or favourite quote?
Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. - Oscar Wilde