Category: Alumni

Bristol alumni launch friend-finder app to help tackle loneliness

Posted on by Ellie

Two University of Bristol alumni have launched a friend-finding app called fethr. The app, which aims to tackle loneliness, links up like-minded individuals by analysing their personality, values, interests, and friendship preferences.

Bristol Geography graduate, Julian Issa (MSci 2014), former Maths and Philosophy student, Miguel Bravo (BSc 2013) and their flatmate, Gerardo Rodriguez, came up with the idea for fethr during the first UK lockdown. The trio were discussing loneliness and realised that they had felt isolated long before the pandemic struck.

As a business analyst, Julian had lived in 10 cities in just two years, which made it difficult to form friendships. After carrying out further research, he discovered that 45% of adults in England felt lonely at least some of the time.

“Meaningful human connection shouldn’t be such a difficult thing to find in the 21st century and that is why we started fethr,” said Julian.

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Bristol alumni recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours List

Posted on by Ellie
Photo by Hailey Wagner on Unsplash

This year, a whole host of Bristol alumni have been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for their extraordinary contributions to society. Among them are NHS heroes, leading academics and community champions. Read on to see if you can spot any former classmates in the list of Bristol alumni who have been given a honour this year.

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From politics to the power of love: in conversation with Lord Boateng

Posted on by Ellie

Bristol alumnus, Lord Boateng (LLB 1973, Hon LLD 2007) has made history multiple times during his ground-breaking political career. In 1987 he became one of the first Black MPs to be elected in the UK and went on to become the UK’s first Black cabinet minister in 2002.

While at the University, Paul Boateng was a committee member of the Students’ Law Club and a member of the Council of the Students’ Union. After graduating with a degree in Law in 1973, Paul qualified and completed his articles in London. He later returned to Bristol to represent defendants in the St Paul’s uprising of 1980 and thereafter continued to practice in courts in Bristol, London, Liverpool and the Midlands right up until 1997.

In April, Lord Boateng joined us in conversation to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the University’s Be More Empowered for Success programme – which exists to ensure that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students thrive at Bristol. In this event, he shared his wisdom, looked back on his time as a student and gave us some invaluable life advice. Here are some of our favourite Lord Boateng quotes from the event – from politics to the power of love.

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Social Sciences and Law alumni give back by mentoring current students

Posted on by sophie.davison

 

Each year, the University’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Law runs a series of mentoring programmes which support both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The programmes, which are run by the faculty’s Professional Liaison Network, benefit from the guidance of University of Bristol alumni, who volunteer as mentors. Last year was no exception and we’d like to say a huge thank you to the alumni who volunteered during the Autumn and Spring months to inspire and assist our students.

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Dr Imke Sittel (PhD 2017): tackling climate change through plant power 

Posted on by Ellie

In 2019, co-founders Dr Imke Sittel (PhD 2017) and Dr David Benito-Alifonso set up Glaia – an environmentally conscious startup which is on a mission to reduce the carbon footprint of agricultural food production. The revolutionary technology behind Glaia, which Imke and David developed at the University of Bristol, uses nanomaterial-based solutions to allow plants to harvest light more efficiently. By increasing crop yields and lowering emissions, this forward-thinking startup could play a pivotal role in tackling climate change and ensuring food security in future years.

We spoke to Dr Imke Sittel to find out more about startup life and to hear her fond memories of her time at the University.

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Helping you to stay connected

Posted on by sophie.davison

Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

Bristol Volunteers coordinate and manage lots of events for Bristol alumni all around the world. They bring alumni together to reconnect with each other and share their memories and passions. We want to work with you to help with your event in the best way that we can. So, if you currently organise events for alumni or are thinking about doing so, here’s how we can help.

At the moment, all our alumni events and gatherings are being held online. We look forward to seeing one another in person when it is safe to do so – and in the meantime, we can help you organise a digital get-together.

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Bristol’s alumni networks spring to life: Spring Showcase

Posted on by sophie.davison

The Bristol Alumni Network Steering Group: Charles Gunter (BSc 2006, PGCE 2007, MSc 2009), Savannah Coombe (BA 2020), Linda Wilson (LLB 1982) and David Richards (BSc 1988, PhD 1995)

On Friday 19 and Saturday 20 March 2021, the Bristol Alumni Network, in collaboration with the Students’ Union, presented the Bristol Spring Showcase. The weekend brought together alumni, students, and staff, through a series of digital events including tours and talks, panel discussions, a photo competition, celebrating 100 years of Geography at the University, and our very own University Challenge.

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Why I’m a Bristol Volunteer

Posted on by Ellie

Almost 2,000 people volunteered for the University in this academic year. We caught up with some of our volunteers to find out more about their roles and what being a Bristol Volunteer means to them.

(Top) Fran Wormald (MEng 2012) supported our Bristol Voices programme

Since moving back to Bristol, I’ve wanted to get more involved in the local community and support students at the University. I can imagine the coronavirus crisis has left students feeling isolated and lonely, with limited opportunities to meet and socialise. I wanted to be a friendly contact for a student during this difficult period.

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the student I’ve been paired with. She and I have lots in common and get on really well. We’ve been able to talk openly about our difficulties during lockdown and what we’re looking forward to in the future.

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‘It’s important to find what’s right for you’: Bristol Mentors share their insights

Posted on by Ellie

One hundred alumni and students joined us on 16 March for the Big Bristol Mentors Mingle, which was our first ever Bristol Mentors virtual networking event. This was a chance for alumni, students and mentors to meet each other and share invaluable career-focused insights. (more…)

Join our telephone fundraising team!

Posted on by Ellie

We are recruiting for student callers to work on our Summer 2021 Telephone Fundraising campaign. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a friendly team in which you can build your skills, make a difference and gain fundraising experience.  

Are you: 

  • enthusiastic? 
  • reliable? 
  • curious? 
  • adaptable? 
  • a team player? 
  • keen to make a difference? 
  • comfortable speaking over the phone? 

If the answer to one or more of these questions is yes, we’d love to hear from you! 

As a telephone fundraiser you will call Bristol graduates to discuss what’s new at the University, answer any questions they may have, and ask for a charitable donation. It’s an important and rewarding job. In 2018/19 our team of student callers raised an incredible £151,872.32, which helped to support projects such as our Futures Scholarships and cardiovascular research. Click here to read more about the amazing things you’ll be helping to support through telephone fundraising. 

We are proud to be a Living Wage accredited employer, and you will be paid £9.50 per hour plus 12.07% holiday pay. All students are paid in arrears for the previous month’s work on the 26th of each month, or on the previous working day if this falls on a weekend or bank holiday. 

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