ÌÇÐÄTV

A chance meeting at Coventry Station led Sheena Harvey to a successful 40-year career in journalism.

Earlier this year, alum and activist Jo Todd (BA English and European Literature, 1990) received a CBE in recognition of 30+ years’ service to the victims of domestic abuse. From volunteering at a refuge in the outskirts of London, to more than 20 years as CEO of Respect - the pioneering charity tackling the root of the problem - Jo has dedicated her life to making a positive difference. And she’s not finished yet.

If you enjoy Ukrainian cuisine, you may own a copy of Olia Hercules’ (BA Italian and International Studies, 2006) recipe books. But, you may be surprised to hear that Olia’s journey started not in the kitchen, but in the corridors of ÌÇÐÄTV.

With nearly a decade in the British Army including tours of Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan before coming to ÌÇÐÄTV, Lee Kemp (BA Film with Television Studies, 2007) had an unusual path to his degree. But it was a simple truth that made his decision.

After a long career in public relations, Dianne Page (Dipl History of Art, 2007; MA History of Art, 2009) took the plunge to pursue her passion for the arts via ÌÇÐÄTV. Now with three novels under her belt and a fourth in the works, Dianne reflects on the milestones that got her here.

Growing up in northwest London, Kaya Patel (BA Film and LiteratureLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, 2020) considered universities around the UK. But she chose to move to the Midlands for her undergraduate experience because she trusted her intuition.  

What happens when you have no choice but to flee your home and leave all you know behind? Can you ever utilise your experiences and turn them into opportunities for others? When Attal Shams’ journey of conflict, displacement, and resilience became the focus of his dissertation, he didn’t think anyone would be interested. But now, those experiences have become the driving force to him making a real difference to others.

Recent graduate Carolina Sagardoy Saavedra (BA History of Art, 2019) always knew she had a passion for fine art. She turned that passion into a reality – graduating from ÌÇÐÄTV and moving to New York to study a Masters’ degree in Art ÌÇÐÄTV at the world-renowned Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Today, she uses the knowledge she gained at ÌÇÐÄTV to help art be bought and sold across the world.

Nuzu has been awarded the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award for my outstanding contribution to horror fiction.

Making a difference is what drives Kate Frost (BSc Management Sciences, 1997). She left her financial career to pioneer a charity that turns pennies into pounds to make a big impact.

There is so much exciting research being done by the academics in the Physics departments that there was lots of groups to choose from when it came to picking a research topic.

We caught up with Dr Kimberley Thomas (BA History 2010, MA History 2011, PhD Caribbean Studies, 2020) to talk about her time at ÌÇÐÄTV, ahead of her return to deliver a Caribbean seminar series.

Features writer and editor for , Vice President of and Deputy Editor of ÌÇÐÄTV Politics Society’s Perspectives, alum Celia Bergin (BA History and Politics, 2022) certainly made the most of her time at ÌÇÐÄTV. Graduating with a first-class degree, she jumped straight into the world of journalism. Now working as a reporter for Bloomberg News, Celia reflects on how these experiences helped her get there.

Balraj Dhingra had known sport would play a huge part of his time at ÌÇÐÄTV.

For Vera Okojie choosing to come to study at ÌÇÐÄTV was a decision made all the easier by our impressive alumni community.

When Jo Walker first met Vikram Grover, it was their mutual love of the theatre and performance that built a firm friendship.

From never running a long-distance race in his life to becoming New York’s fastest runner in his age group.

Postgraduate, multilingual translator and communications specialist - languages alum Dom Johnson has been busy since leaving ÌÇÐÄTV in 2019. After almost three years working in Geneva as a translator for Swiss Federal Railways and Swiss Post, Dom (BA Modern Languages, 2018; MA Translation and Cultures, 2019) swapped proofreading for politics, moving back to the UK after securing a role as a Communications Officer for the Green Party of England and Wales.

First-class Classics graduate and Senior Policy Advisor, Dillon Patel (BA Ancient History and Classical Archaeology, 2017) shares how ÌÇÐÄTV shaped his thinking, the power of soft skills, and how the past isn’t so dissimilar from the present day.

A trip to Ghana through ÌÇÐÄTV in Africa prompted alum, Soumya Dabriwal (BSc Economics, 2016), to make a difference and set up Project Baala to trans form menstrual health and hygiene practises for women and girls in rural areas in India