Alumni volunteers share inspirational career journeys with students

Posted on by clare.young

This summer, ten of our alumni volunteers shared their career stories with pupils through an online event focused on employability. This session was delivered in partnership with With Insight Education, an organisation which mentors Black heritage pupils who are aiming to apply to prestigious universities throughout the UK.

As well as offering valuable insight into their own careers, our alumni volunteers were on hand to answer questions from the pupils and to offer advice. The session was a fantastic chance for the pupils to learn more about how their favourite subjects could translate into a wide variety of career opportunities in the future.

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Become a Bristol Volunteer: Current Opportunities

Posted on by sophie.davison

At the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) we work with departments across the University to match alumni volunteers with relevant and rewarding opportunities. There are so many different ways to get involved as a Bristol Volunteer and all of them make a huge difference to our community. Whether you give your time or expertise, you will be helping to enrich the lives of students and graduates alike.

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University launches £1 million Black Bristol Scholarship programme

Posted on by Ellie

The University of Bristol is launching a new £1 million programme of scholarships, which will support around 130 Black and mixed Black heritage students to take up places at the University over the next four years.

The Black Bristol Scholarship Programme seeks to address the underrepresentation of Black students at every level of study in higher education across the UK, from undergraduate students to those completing PhDs. It will annually fund Black and mixed Black heritage students across five areas:

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Recognising our Bristol Volunteers

Posted on by Ellie

Our Bristol Volunteers are a community of over 1,700 alumni who all give their time and expertise to support the University community. We’re so grateful for the huge amount of effort our volunteers put into giving back to the University and to reflect this, we’re developing even more ways to say thank you and recognise their impact.

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‘Knowing that there are people willing and generous enough to help me is huge’

Posted on by Grace


Rhea Griffiths, studying Politics and International Relations, tells us about the difference having a Futures Scholarship has made during her first year.

My school’s catchment came predominantly from the council estate where I grew up – there were only 12 of us in my sixth form. I took a year out after A Levels because I needed to work. I’m the oldest of four children and my mum had lost her job so I was helping to pay for rent.

When I said I wanted to go into higher education my mum was sceptical because she always saw it as a huge expense. When I found out I had got the Futures Scholarship it felt like such a relief. The Scholarship funding has helped with my deposit for next year’s rent – I wouldn’t have been able to afford that otherwise. I also enjoy going to public lectures on topics relevant to my course. Some of these are in London so I’ve been able to afford to travel down there so I can attend.

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‘It’s opening so many doors for me, thank you’

Posted on by Grace

Praxciana dos Santos is a first year studying Psychology. Her Futures Scholarship helps her balance her studies with her caring responsibilities.

I’m the oldest of three children. My brother, who’s a year younger than me, has cerebral palsy. Because my mum is a single mum, I like to think I’m kind of a second parental figure for my siblings. My other brother is only 12, so if mum needed someone to be in the house while she took my brother to the doctors then I would usually take on that role. As she’s a full-time carer herself, my mum can’t really have a job, so I used to do waitressing work as well, which meant that if my brothers needed anything they could let me know and I could buy it for them.

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Your messages of welcome for our Sanctuary Scholarship students

Posted on by Ellie

This summer, we asked alumni, staff, students and friends of the University of Bristol to contribute pictures and messages of welcome for our newest cohort of Sanctuary Scholarship students.

These students, who all come from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds, have been able to take up places at the University of Bristol because of the Sanctuary Scholarship programme. Each scholarship is a lifeline that makes a world of difference to the recipient.

We were so overwhelmed by the volume and heartfelt nature of the messages; we wanted to say a huge thank you and share some of our favourites with you. You can head to our Facebook page to see the full selection of messages.

“I wanted to send a welcome photo to show that Bristol is a safe and welcoming city for all, including people seeking sanctuary from war, violence, persecution and impact of climate change. And also to offer our solidarity to the University of Bristol for launching a programme which offers life-changing practical support to refugees and asylum seekers who are coming to study in our diverse city of hope.”

Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol

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Alumnus legacy gift helps acquire stunning manuscript leaf

Posted on by Clare

With help from a generous bequest by the late Anthony John Edwards (BA 1952), the University Library’s Special Collections has acquired a beautiful manuscript leaf from a thirteenth-century Latin Bible. The manuscript almost certainly originated from Glastonbury Abbey, one of the greatest Benedictine monasteries in medieval England. Alumnus Mr Edwards was a History graduate who went on to become the first librarian of Canterbury Christ Church University.

Abbeys played a key role, alongside universities, in the growth of higher education in the thirteenth century and beyond and Glastonbury was especially famous for its vast library of books and manuscripts. When King Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the abbey in 1539 and the execution of its Abbot on Glastonbury Tor, the library and its contents were destroyed, dispersed or sold.

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Alumni interview: Ben Howitt (BVSc 2016), Founder of Pan Animalia

Posted on by Ellie

After working in a veterinary practice in Guernsey for a number of years, Bristol alum Ben Howitt went for the ultimate change of scenery by moving to the Galapagos. There he worked for almost a year as Chief Veterinary Officer for a charitable association, spending his free time scuba-diving and learning more about the beautiful animals which inhabit the islands.

He’s since launched his own foundation, Pan Animalia, which aims to provide accessible healthcare for domestic animals in the Galapagos and help manage their population numbers. This plays a crucial role in protecting the biodiversity of the islands. We caught up with him to hear more about his work and vision for his foundation.

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Bristol alumni set up to help new medics during COVID-19

Posted on by sophie.davison

Junior doctorsIn response to COVID-19 our 2020 MBChB students graduated early to begin their medical careers and help during these unprecedented times. The Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO), together with the Bristol Medical School, reached out to the doctors in our alumni community to see if they could offer their support and advice during this time, we had an overwhelming response and some truly inspiring and encouraging offers of help.

An incredible 40 alumni offered their time to support our newly graduated MBChB junior doctors, and from those we were able to match 25 students to alumni. These included alumni working in hospitals such as the; BRI, Swindon, Southmead and Taunton. We even had offers of remote support from doctors working outside the Severn Deanery hospitals which was fantastic to receive.

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