The Widening Participation team recently reached out to University of Bristol alumni, to ask if we could help them tell the inspiring stories of their careers after graduation. These alumni had studied courses in the Faculty of Arts, and all three gave fascinating insights into the skills they developed at the University of Bristol.
Claudia Bell graduated with a degree in Theology in 2018, before taking up an internship at the United Nations in New York. In Claudia’s Alumni Story, linked below, we hear about how her degree equipped her for excelling in this internship through the ability to problem solve, write well, and appreciate a range of different viewpoints. We also get an insight into what an internship at the UN involves, from organising events to researching weapons and ammunition.
Now a Senior Propositions Manager at Barclays, Jamain Graveney graduated with a BA in History in 2006. Drawing on an interesting a varied career, Jamain reflects on the critical thinking that he had gained from his degree programme in his Alumni Story and explains how the skills he acquired on his course lay the foundation for his successful career after he graduated. From challenging assumptions to harnessing the power of attention, Jamain sets out the ways in which his degree in History continues to help him right up to the present time.
After studying a BA in Politics and Italian and graduating in 2016, Alexi Alafouzo became the Regional Manager for Minerva, a charity providing support to women and girls with complex needs who have committed crime and are at risk of re-offending. Alexi explains how her degree programme taught her about the importance of analysing societal issues, and then working on how to fight systemic inequality. As well as providing inspiration for her career trajectory after graduating, Alexi outlines how studying Politics and Italian helped her develop skills including public speaking, working collaboratively, and being a good writer.
We were privileged to be able to work with all three of these fantastic alumni, and we hope that their stories can serve as a reminder that students graduate from university with much more than a qualification. From the skills acquired to how employable these skills have made Claudia, Jamain and Alexi, we hope that their example will encourage students from a range of backgrounds to take up degree programmes in the Faculty of Arts.