Alumni News Autumn Edition 2022

ALUMNI

FORWARD

What if Graduation was only the beginning?

Hello and welcome to the Autumn edition of Alumni News 2022. I am delighted to bring you this edition which is focused on updating you with the latest information on Alumni Relations. Alumni Relations is all about celebrating you and keeping in touch; helping you to stay informed and connected to each other, and to your University.

Why stay connected? Because you are part of our history and also part of our future. The University of Suffolk is about transformation, transforming individuals, our community, our region and beyond and you have been part of that transformation. The feedback and suggestions you provide are invaluable, impacting directly on our course design and future vision, developing and enhancing our student experience. Whether you need us now or in the future, we will be here, offering a variety of services and benefits to support you, and providing opportunities to give back should you be in a position to do so.

We have seen a significant increase in the number of alumni who want to reconnect with us this year, keen to share their experiences and highlight their success, encouraging our current students and inspiring the next generation. Our Alumni are linking their organisations and businesses to us through research, enterprise and knowledge exchange, providing endless opportunities for our students to engage with real-life work experience or direct engagement through guest talks and lectures. The stories and quotes you all provide help us

inspire others, regularly featured in our publications, online and in the press, you help us to reach a wider audience than ever before.

So, this is just the beginning of your journey as a University of Suffolk graduate. We are delighted to announce our first-ever Alumni Reunion happening in Spring 2023. We hope you will support this event and many others like it, as we provide more and more opportunities for you to reconnect and reunite with your peers and lecturers.

Stay connected to us now and in the future, come back and see us and take advantage of what we can offer you, be our best ambassadors, but most of all, help us to celebrate you.

Kate Burgess Alumni Relations and Development Manager

What do we offer?

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

What do you get out of staying

connected? „ Alumni Postgraduate Loyalty Scheme, As a graduate you are entitled to a loyalty reduction on postgraduate courses

10% reduction on CPD courses

Lifetime access to the Careers, Employability and Enterprise* and the FutureMe platform

Continued access to our Library (click on the alumni tab via the link)

Access to all our Open Lecture events

Access to the FREE Online Jobs Board

Discounted membership rates for the Innovation Labs @ University of Suffolk and support with all your Business Needs

Exclusive invites to our reunions and alumni networking events *Applies to Ipswich, Suffolk New College, West Suffolk College and East Coast College graduates only

How can you get involved?

Contact the team for more information on any of the following:

Completing an alumni story

Becoming an Alumni Blogger

Engaging with our students directly through talks, workshops or lectures, either in-person or online

Organising your own alumni events

Providing placements or opportunities for students

Providing a venue for events

Engage with us on social media

Keep your contact details up to date

Fundraising

Donating to the University

Leaving a gift in your will

Lifetime support from the Careers, Employability and Enterprise Service

Whether you have recently graduated, or have been in work for some time, the Careers, Employability and Enterprise team are here to help you explore, develop and shape your futures. You may have hit a bump in the road, or be looking for motivation to find that next role and take the next step.

The team can offer a variety of initiatives and activities which you have lifetime access to as a member of the University of Suffolk Alumni Community.

Whether you prefer face-to-face careers support and advice or online, the team can help you.

„ One-to-one impartial information, advice and guidance to help you move forward in your career and future planning

„ Advice on all aspects of the job and Postgraduate study application process, including CVs, personal statements, cover letters, assessment centres and interviews

„ Events to meet and connect with prospective employers, including fairs, workshops, webinars and more;

„ 24/7 access to our online career development platform and job board, FutureMe

„ Access to instant CV and interview feedback through our CV360 and Interview360 tools

„ Activities to support you with business start-up and freelancing, including one-to-one advice

„ Support with building networks and using social media, including the creation of strong LinkedIn profiles

„ Access to our jobs board

The team can also support you as an employer, business owner or start up: „ Opportunities to advertise vacancies

„ Provide you with an opportunity to provide work placements, internships or volunteering roles

„ Opportunities to attend one of many careers events at the University

FutureMe is an online platform and will help you to develop personally and professionally; understanding yourself, exploring your options, making informed decisions and getting to where you want to be. It is accessible to all graduates and complements the face-to-face careers support with online interactive tools for you to access whenever and wherever you need them.

The team also launched the Entrepreneurs Forge Bootcamp last year, issuing the first ever start-up grants to current students and recent graduates, following attendance at the bootcamp and a successful business pitch.

The team are based in Ipswich and are accessible to graduates from Ipswich, East Coast College, Suffolk New College and West Suffolk College who can access the support for life. If you graduated from Global Banking School, London School of Commerce, Unitas, Unicaf or other locations/institutions you will need to contact the Careers/Students Service teams at your institution for support or you can access our online FutureMe platform for online support.

Get in Touch

Call us on 01473 338840 or email careers@uos.ac.uk

What do we offer?

GRADUATION 2022

We had a fantastic time in October marking the achievements of our graduating class of 2022. It was so fantastic to see everyone celebrating in style with so many family members and friends who have supported them along the way. We hope you had a lovely time and if you would like to share your photos with us on social media, please use the hashtag #UniSuffolkGrad and tag us.

The photo album is now open for photos from East Coast College and Ipswich.

View our graduation photo album

GRADUATION

Graduate Outcomes Survey

Graduates who complete a course at the University of Suffolk will be invited to take part in the Graduate Outcomes Survey 15 months after graduation. Find out more information and why you should get involved, visit uos.ac.uk/graduate-outcomes

ALUMNI BLOG

A great way of giving back and supporting our current students is to become an Alumni Blogger. The blog forms part of our wider Life at Suffolk Blog where many of our students and graduates volunteer to write short blogs aimed at providing advice and guidance for our current students.

As a graduate you can provide invaluable information, guidance and advice. You are all at varying stages of your careers and the

insight that you have can greatly impact on the lives and journey’s of our students, helping them to navigate uncertainty, find their potential and achieve their goals.

A huge thank you to all of our recent Alumni Bloggers; Emilia, Josh, Cami, Amy and Eleanor.

Contact the team to get involved on alumni@uos.ac.uk

Emilia

BA (Hons) Dance, Class of 2021

Volunteering is something I have been doing for a bit over 5 years now and it is something I have found to be an incredibly valuable experience. As someone hoping for a career within the creative industry, volunteering in the current arts sector, seems to be such an integral part of career development. Here, I would like to give an overview of some red and green flags to look out for when choosing an organisation to volunteer with.

First of all, let’s explore some green flags when it comes to volunteering:

„ Organisation/Company has had volunteers before: Not essential but definitely a green flag. It is reassuring to know that the company/organisation has previous experience with the volunteers, particularly student volunteers or those who have had placements/internships at the company. It often makes starting your volunteering role much quicker and easier as they have policies in place, and a framework of responsibilities for you to take on.

„ Flexible with commitment and workload: This is a conversation you obviously must have and there will be expectations that need to be met regardless to the fact you are working for free. However, as most people fit in volunteering around studies or part-time jobs, is it essential that your volunteering organisation is sensitive to this and understands there may be periods where the time you dedicate to them may shift.

„ Understanding of the two-way exchange: As much as you are giving a company work for free, it should also be benefitting your aspirations and personal growth. Open conversation about what you wish to achieve during your time with the organisation, which areas you wish to focus on, and the

timeframe you have to achieve these, is a must. Finding whether an organisation is right for you is key, for a healthy and beneficial volunteering experience.

Now some things to be wary of:

„ Reluctance to cover your costs: Yes, you are working for free, but you should not be paying to work. If you are working at organisations far away from you or attending long events, travel and food expenses should be provided. This should be discussed before you start your volunteering. Some volunteering opportunities may not offer this because they are small companies or charities and do not have the funds to do so, which I would say is an exception to this red flag. However, if this then makes the work unfeasible for you, you should not feel tied to continue giving your time to this organisation, and you should be made aware of this before starting your volunteering work.

„ Excessive workload and time commitment: Volunteering is part-time, and this can take many forms but if you are being expected to complete a full-time job for free this is a huge red flag. You may be working four days a week, 9-5 on a placement, but then this should lessen or end after say six weeks, for example, and should not continue long term. Unless you want to, have the financial stability to volunteer full-time and this is something you have discussed with your host, I would say any more than two days (16hrs) a week would be too much to ask of a volunteer.

I hope this blog post has been able to give you more confidence when finding volunteering opportunities, and you have the best experience possible to further your professional development.

LINKEDIN GROUPS

Our alumni on LinkedIn

A new way to connect with the University of Suffolk and to network and communicate with your peers.

There are 4 LinkedIn Groups and you can join any of them or all of them. Based on your feedback we have developed 4 groups aimed at the different areas of study at University of Suffolk:

Suffolk Business Grads

Health and Sports Science Grads

Engineering, Arts, Sciences and Technology Grads

Social Sciences and Humanities Grads

The Alumni Relations team are now your first point of contact at the University of Suffolk. You can email us on alumni@uos.ac.uk or call us on 01473 338000 Don’t forget to follow us on social media for regular updates

Connection Week — Connect, Reconnect, Reunite

Monday 17 to Saturday 22 April 2023

A week of events designed for you, our graduates. We are holding a week-long event to give you the opportunity to reconnect with us. Whether you can join us in-person or online there will be something for everyone, including a reunion for graduates on the Ipswich campus on Friday 21 April.

Further information and a full programme including booking information will be emailed to you in due course. If you would like to help support this event, please email alumni@uos.ac.uk

OUR AMAZING ALUMNI

If you are interested in sharing your story to help us celebrate you, share your experiences and inspire future graduates, contact the team on alumni@uos.ac.uk

Rose Gant

BA (Hons) English, Class of 2021 MA Creative and Critical Writing, Class of 2022

disheartening couple of years studying towards my A Levels, I attended an open day to explore my options for further study. Upon meeting the English course team, I knew I had found the course to reignite my passion to learn. Their enthusiasm for both teaching and literature was so inspiring, and it was not long before my own research interests began to bloom.

On the BA, one of my earliest modules explored a variety of critical responses to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. Fittingly this module shaped my undergraduate studies, as whilst I was familiar with the writing of the Brontë family it was residing closely to Emily’s passion and pain within her fictional worlds that kindled my desire to engage further with her life and work. This led to my undergraduate dissertation.

It is funny to imagine at the end of four years studying at Suffolk that I once hesitated at the thought of attending university, and now I don’t ever want to leave academia! Despite a lack of confidence in my writing following a

Completing this project in the height of various lockdowns meant that more than ever I drew closer to my studies and the words of both Emilys. Truly, their poetry and the continued support of the course team meant I was able to continue to grow my writing practice from the confines of my desk.

Social Sciences and Humanities

Applying for the MA in Creative and Critical Writing was the easiest decision I have ever made. Another year studying at Suffolk with the most encouraging course team was the dream scenario to grow my passion for research, furthering my love of the Brontës. The assignments for the MA were largely comprised of independent study, which I was well equipped for following a year in lockdown. One major benefit of choosing the focus for your assignments means that each module can be adapted to reflect your research interests.

However, for the Writer in Residence module I chose to pursue an alternate passion project, working with Ipswich Museum and Christchurch Mansion. When proposing your ideal residency my mind immediately went to the Museum, which I have visited my whole life and remains to be one of my favourite places in Ipswich. For my residency, I was fortunate enough to be accepted as the Writer in Residence for the Creating Constable exhibition at

Christchurch Mansion, through which I wanted to explore visitor’s connections to their local surroundings, inspired by the local scenes depicted in the paintings.

Following my residency, I was offered a job working at both Ipswich Museum and Christchurch Mansion. My role is primarily based in visitor services, but I have been given many other amazing opportunities within the role, including delivering workshops to local schools. I am so grateful every day to be able to work in such magnificent buildings that I adore so much. The job perfectly combines love for history and passion for helping others. I am also currently working on my PhD proposal, which I am hoping to complete at Suffolk.

I cannot recommend the University and the English team more highly as without them I truly would not have grown in my writing, confidence and passion for research over the past four years.

Our amazing alumni

Jemma Yarton-Peacock

BSc (Hons) Radiography and Oncology, Class of 2014

environments for all learners across the organisation.

The University of Suffolk cultivated my passion for education and supporting the development of others. The Radiotherapy and Oncology programme (now Therapeutic Radiography) encouraged a peer learning ethos in its cohorts, in both academic and clinical placement settings. I had opportunities to support my peers and the next generation of Therapeutic Radiography students through promotion of the profession and studying with the University of Suffolk.

My name is Jemma Yarnton-Peacock and I graduated from the University of Suffolk in 2014 with a 1st class BSc (Hons) degree in Radiotherapy and Oncology. Training to become a Therapeutic Radiographer was the start of my journey in healthcare, and the start of my journey as an educator, supporting other learners during my time as an undergraduate student.

Since graduating, I have worked as a Therapeutic Radiographer at Addenbrookes and Ipswich Hospital, progressing to a senior radiographer and practice educator. I have developed a strong link with the University of Suffolk, working collaboratively with the radiography programme teams to facilitate and support students on clinical placement. In 2021, I returned to work after maternity leave with my first child and was successfully appointed to a role within the Pre-registration Education team as Lead Practice Education Facilitator (PEF) for Allied Healthcare Professions (AHPs). This role has diversified my understanding of student learning in clinical practice, with a focus on increasing student placement capacity and improving the quality of learning

I am now studying again with the University of Suffolk, completing a Postgraduate Certificate on the Joint Suffolk Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA). I am part of the first cohort via a studentship offered by the Integrated Care Academy (ICA) earlier this year. I have been excited to return to the University of Suffolk as a student and feel privileged that I have been supported by this fantastic opportunity with the ICA and its partners. I am pleased that the ICA has been established in Suffolk and is driving integrated care for our local communities, investing in the development of the local health and care workforce to achieve this.

The University of Suffolk has supported my development at every step of my career so far, and in turn, I have used this to invest in and develop our future health and care workforce. I look forward to continuing to partner with the University to support undergraduate learning in health and care, and in further developing my own career in education and workforce.

Peter Broughton

BA (Hons) Business Management, Class of 2019

not recommend doing this in winter. I also took part in the graduate + programme encouraging engagement in extra curricular activities and did a two-week placement as a research assistant for a local recruitment firm, which was advertised through the University.

Support from lecturers, especially during my final year of studies, helped me learn, grow, and plan next steps after university life. I was also well supported by my friends and employer – my dissertation was based on staff life of NHS employees.

Going back to education at 23 was a struggle but choosing to study as a mature student was one of the best choices I have made. Having graduated in 2019 with a 2:1 Business Management degree I look back on my time at the University of Suffolk with happy memories.

Moving to Ipswich in 2016 without knowing anyone should have made me nervous, but I was keen to make the most of the experience. Living in Athena Hall meant I made great connections with people and I have lifelong friendships. I grew up and worked in Norwich before my studies, already being familiar with UOS and having grandparents in South Norfolk meant I did not want to move far.

Living on the marina with a good group of friends has given me lots of great memories. Myself and two classmates started a fundraising society while at UOS, the Caritas Society, we arranged bake sales, charity events and a night out with the aim of raising money for a number of charities. Two of us also shaved our heads to raise money for Suffolk Mind, I would

I worked for the NHS before and during my degree and was lucky enough to gain a management role at NHS Suffolk & NE Essex CCGs in the last month of my studies, three years later I have been successful in completed many projects.

My favourite memories of university life are Barcoda, during freshers and refreshers, the bar crawls across Ipswich were a favourite of all being out together. Graduation was also very special, celebrating our success with a great group of classmates and our loved ones really makes you realise how much effort, motivation and hard work had gone into the years of study.

I would strongly recommend the University, you are well supported throughout studies and post uni life and are able to build wonderful and meaningful connections with friends and classmates. My advice is that despite all the positives, university is a very stressful time; take time for you and to look after yourself and build connections with the right people so you can keep each other going through the journey.

Emily Gillbanks

BA (Hons) Fine Art, Class of 2020

Award. In the same year I graduated, I started my MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art in London.

It was after accepting my place on this programme that I was fortunate enough to receive international support from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation who awarded me two paintings grants to fulfil my studies at the Royal College of Art. The first year of my MA was all online due to the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, I built a studio in my parents back garden so I could carry on painting.

I graduated from the Fine Art course at the University of Suffolk in 2020. Before graduating I was shortlisted for the BP Portrait Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, and exhibited in the society of Women Artists Exhibition.

I am technically from Essex, Bures which is right on the Essex and Suffolk border. All of my education before my Masters was in Suffolk. When I went to middle school there was a Bures Essex and Bures Suffolk bus. What bus you were allowed to get on was dependent on which side of the bridge you lived on. I chose to study at Suffolk because of how small the course was and because of the impressive Fine Art studios. The studio spaces allocated to each student are extremely generous and well-lit. Studying at Suffolk also meant I could stay living at home and save enough money from my part-time job of working in a hotel in Stokeby-Nayland to do my masters.

My project More Than Real, which would have been exhibited in my degree show had it not been for the pandemic won the Global Graduate Design Fine Art People’s Choice

During this time I made my Painting Three Things. This was exhibited in the Royal Society of British Artist’s Exhibition 2021 at Mall Galleries. It was also awarded the de Laszlo Medal for excellence. This is awarded annually to the best painting from life by a young artist aged 35 or under in the RBA exhibition. I also made my selfportrait Reflecting on Things which was shortlisted for the Self-Portrait Prize.

I’m now about to have my degree show at the Royal College of Art which takes place in Battersea. I was awarded the Fribourg Philanthropies Painting Prize 2022 for my degree show proposal, which has funded the paintings I have made for my degree show. Alongside this exhibition

I also have a painting exhibited at the Royal Overseas League in Park Place as part of the Royal Society of British Artist’s Rising Stars Exhibition where I have been shortlisted for a Rome Scholarship residency. I supported my studies by working in hospitality 6 years prior to moving to London, and I have recently been working part-time at the Design Museum.

This year I am working on my PhD applications, as well as continuing to make work in a London-based studio.