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Queen Mary Alumni

Blog

Montage of alumni voices on our blog. Featured are the Singing Dentist, aka Dr Milad Shadrooh, Dilani Selvanathan, Siti Kasim and Matt Kay.

Our graduates have gone on to do a variety of interesting and exciting things throughout their careers and beyond.

Our blog shines a spotlight on the voices of our alumni and friends and on the transformative effect gifts of time and donations from alumni have had on our students and the wider University.

Headshot of alumna Julie Fleck Alumni profile - Julie Fleck
27 February 2020

(Geography BA, 1978)

The work that I did to make London 2012 ‘the most accessible Olympic and Paralympic Games ever’ has definitely been the highlight of my career. The policies and planning guidance I had written for the London Plan were applied to the planning proposals for the Olympic venues and parkland so that all the designers were obliged to consider the needs of disabled people from the very beginning of the design process.

Headshot of alumna Jaspreet Kaur Alumni profile - Jaspreet Kaur, aka Behind the Netra
2 March 2020

(History BA, 2013)

Since 2015, I have been performing my spoken word on stages across the UK, aiming to tackle issues related to gender discrimination, mental health stigma, the postcolonial immigrant experience, taboo issues within the South Asian community and much more. I have met lots of inspirational women from a range of different industries and backgrounds. This network of inspirational women is continuing to grow and we all support and guide one another.

Headshot of alumna Diana Akanho Alumni profile - Diana Akanho
9 March 2020

(Mathematics and Statistics BSc, 2009)

I am a Committee Member for Women in Data UK. The vision of the organisation is to create gender parity within STEM subjects through presentations and talks. We like to talk about how ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ and to make women realise that there are women working in certain roles and careers that they may have thought were previously off limit to them. I will always act as an advocate for gender parity where possible so as to make a pathway for women in certain careers. 

Headshot of alumna Marissa Joseph Alumni profile - Marrisa Joseph
20 March 2020

(Business Management PhD, 2016)

When my work was commissioned by Palgrave Macmillan it was a touching moment. Much of my research is framed around understanding what the Macmillan brothers did back in the nineteenth century. Now I have become a Macmillan author, I feel like I have joined an illustrious club!

Headshot of alumna Fizza Ali Alumni profile - Fizza Ali
26 March 2020

(Commercial and Corporate Law LLM, 2019)

I am currently working as a corporate legal trainee lawyer for commercial and transactional practice in one of the biggest and renowned law firms in Pakistan. In the nearby future, I look forward to playing an active role in enhancing the quality and standard of legal practice in Pakistan!

Headshot of alumnus Raymond Poon Alumni profile - Raymond Poon
2 April 2020

(Mechanical Engineering MEng, 2019)

During my first year of University, I attended the University of London Officers’ Training Corps (ULOTC) and underwent military training. I got to see HMS Bulwark and a Royal Marine Landing Craft, which gave me an appreciation of the type of work engineers do to aid the UK’s naval warfare force. I never expected to end up in the defence industry, but I guess my experience in the ULOTC gave me the kick for it.

Headshot of alumna Zsofi Szemerédy Alumni profile - Zsófi Szemerédy
6 April 2020

(History and Film Studies BA, 2015)

I didn’t speak English particularly well when I came here... Queen Mary has given me the language skills and the courage to be confident in my everyday working life... My undergraduate studies were all about building foundations, pretty solid ones at that, to move forward and be able to follow my dreams. My degree truly opened up the world.

Headshot of alumna Emma Hedington Alumni profile - Emma Hedington
17 April 2020

(Medieval History BA, 2010)

I hadn’t necessarily considered the publishing industry as a career path whilst at university, and I wasn’t particularly aware of academic publishing, but I’ve been in this industry ever since... I’ve worked my way up at various companies... I’m pretty sure all my friends are bored of me talking about working with NASA now!

Headshot of alumna Shivani Reddy Alumni profile - Shivani Reddy
10 May 2020

(English and European Law LLB, 2003)

At Fairtrade, I worked on a wide range of issues (fairer prices for banana farmers; public-private partnerships; gender equality in agricultural supply chains; Sustainable Development Goals; modern slavery; post-Brexit trade policy…). After almost four years, I decided that I wanted to see if I could make an impact on people’s lives from inside a large company so I moved to Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP).

Headshot of alumna Neha Patel Alumni profile - Neha Patel
12 May 2020

(Computer Science BSc, 1994)

I am the co-founder of Your999 Limited, an app/platform launched in 2015 for the general public to use in all sorts of emergencies. For example, in response to the global fight against coronavirus, we have put together a resource that people around the world can use to find the most up to date information.

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