WELCOME FROM THE HEAD OF ALUMNI RELATIONS
WELCOME
Hello and welcome to the 2021 edition of Network magazine. Alumni achievements continue to amaze and impress us through this issue of Network. This is fantastically illustrated by our cover star Dr Mustapha Bittaye, who has touched the lives of so many on a global scale, through his work as one of the core scientists who developed the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. We are honoured and privileged to bring you his story in this magazine. You can also read about how our university remains focused on our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion through all that we do. Over the past year, we’ve been proud to deliver Black History Year to celebrate and showcase the stories and experiences of our Black alumni, students, colleagues and friends. We are thrilled to introduce you to the team behind this important project within the next few pages. And, in the year of the belated 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, we take a trip down memory lane to remember Westminster’s Black Olympians and the phenomenal contributions they made to their respective sports. It has been a long time since we’ve been able to operate ‘normally’ in our daily lives, having to adapt to
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new ways of working, learning and interacting. After such a long wait, we are so excited to be welcoming our students, alumni and colleagues back to campus this autumn. For recent graduates reading this, especially those of the Class of 2020 and summer 2021, the University looks forward to hosting your postponed graduation ceremonies in the next few months. In the meantime, please do join Westminster Connect, westminsterconnect.org, to explore the various opportunities to support your professional growth and career ambitions. Finally, a huge thank you to all of you who have so generously given your time, expertise and donations to support our students over the past year. We’ve collaborated with a record number of alumni through various career talks, mentoring and employer initiatives, and we are truly humbled by your unwavering support. Enjoy this edition and if you have any feedback on how we can enhance the content of Network magazine for future issues, please do get in touch. Laura Hughes Head of Alumni Relations
