Meet our new Alumni Officer, Lauren Reynolds

Hello! My name is Lauren Reynolds and I have recently been appointed Alumni Officer for ATU.

Before this, I worked as Schools Engagement Officer in ATU Donegal, a role which I enjoyed immensely. In some sense, I’ve topped and tailed a part of the student lifecycle; welcoming new students at the beginning of their student journey in my role as Schools Engagement Officer, and now as Alumni Officer, working to keep students engaged after they’ve finished their studies in ATU.

Prior to joining ATU, I worked across marketing and communications in a range of sectors, both private and public, for nearly 15 years working across national and international markets.

What is an Alumnus?

Like many things, we all have different ideas of what an Alumnus might be. The Oxford Dictionary defines an Alumnus as:

• A graduate or former student of a particular school, college, or university.

• A former member of a group, company, or organisation.

Whether a student graduated or not, studied somewhere at one time, be it at a university, college, or any higher education institute then they are an Alumnus of that institution.

Here at ATU we have broadened the definition and for us an Alumnus includes not just a past-student but also an ATU staff member, past and present, and any person who has an affiliation with the university.

What does it mean to be part of ATU’s Alumni Network?

Higher education is much more than the qualification a student receives on graduating. The time spent studying are formative years in a person’s life, from the lessons you learn inside and outside the classroom, to the people you meet and the relationships you build among classmates, lecturers, and support staff.

So why would you want to leave all that behind when you graduate? The journey has only just begun at graduation. And an Alumni network can play a pivotal role throughout the course of your life.

ATU Alumni Officer, Lauren Reynolds

I look forward to working with ATU colleagues, students, past-students and external stakeholders to build a local and global Alumni network for ATU.

An Alumni network also gives its members an opportunity to give back to the institution if they want to, by way of offering support in many different forms such as guest lecturing, mentoring, or creating inroads for job opportunities, placements and much more.

As ATU’s new Alumni Officer what are your priorities for the next year?

As we approach the first year as a university the time is ripe to bring together students and staff, past and present, as well as those people and organisations affiliated with ATU to be part of a globally connected ATU Alumni network.

The priorities for the year ahead are:

• Connecting: We will establish a database of Alumni and commence membership of an ATU Alumni network.

• Communicating: We will build relationships with ATU Alumni through thoughtful communication and content.

• Engaging: We will develop a roadmap for continued support for Alumni in their professional and personal development.

• Contributing: We will strengthen Alumni connections with ATU by way of generating opportunities for Alumni involvement with the university.

Alumni networks offer their members a ready-made support network. A network full of people with shared experiences to connect with and continue to learn from and support each other.