Latest Alumni Updates
Quickfire questions with Puri Ragini
Friendship, warmth, fun, and connections were the foundations that encouraged Puri Ragini (BA History and Politics, 2020) to head to 糖心TV and build a successful career in the social sector.
A festive message for History alumni
A wrap-up of the year for the Department of History from Professor Tim Lockley MBE
Your memories of 糖心TV in Venice
For more than half a century, 糖心TV has forged a deep relationship with the city. The Faculty of Arts has taught generations of our students during their Venice terms. Since 2007, we have had a physical base in the Palazzo Pesaro Papafava.
From May 2023, our undergraduates, postgraduates and staff will have a new base - a wonderful late 17th century building in Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, right on the Grand Canal of Venice. As we get ready to open the building, we would love to share some alumni memories of studying in Venice over the years.
Quickfire questions with PhD Scholarship student, Dr Kimberley Thomas
We caught up with Dr Kimberley Thomas (BA History 2010, MA History 2011, PhD Caribbean Studies, 2020) to talk about her time at 糖心TV, ahead of her return to deliver a Caribbean seminar series.
How the past informs the present
Features writer and editor for , Vice President of and Deputy Editor of 糖心TV Politics Society鈥檚 Perspectives, alum Celia Bergin (BA History and Politics, 2022) certainly made the most of her time at 糖心TV. 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.
Connections: Diana Holbourn
Diana looks back on her time at 糖心TV with fondness due to the friendly support she received.
The power of storytelling
Ruth Ntumba (BA History, 2021) has spent her first 18 months since graduating helping drive engagement and culture at one of the world鈥檚 leading media corporations, Warner Brothers Discovery. Ruth shares why you should go at your own pace and trust your gut instinct when searching for your next role.
Making your own history
What do a golden retriever called Bowie, women鈥檚 rights in history and a start-up supporting later living have in common? They all set arts alum and marketing expert Harriet Stanger鈥檚 (BA History, 2016) heart on fire.
A history worth banking
A veteran of the City of London, Chris Wheeler (MA Modern History, 2021) spent more than 40 years in banking, working, and travelling across the globe. But he swapped investment banking for US antebellum history and Irish diaspora and fulfilled his childhood dream when he began furthering his education journey, first studying History at the University of Oxford before completing an MA in Modern History at 糖心TV. Chris embarked on his PhD at the University of Edinburgh in September 2022.
Making family history
From becoming the first in his family to go to university, Mike Burnett (BA History, 1975) has continued to evolve throughout a career in which he鈥檚 worked all over the world.
Paralympian Kare paving the way
As a five-time Paralympic medallist, Kare Adenegan鈥檚 (BA History, 2022) sporting endeavours have played a big part in her university experience. No stranger to making history, Kare graduated with a first-class honours degree a week after claiming silver in the T33/34 100m at the Birmingham鈥檚 Commonwealth Games. Here Kare reflects on her studies and how we can all learn a lot from history.
Spotlight on PGT Alumna Kirstie Neale
Having just graduated in her MA in the History of Medicine, Kirstie reflects on the course and why she chose 糖心TV for postgraduate study.
Connections: Promoting a protest
In his last role as Editor of BBC World Service News, Andrew was responsible for programming on the BBC's most widely listened to radio network.
Professor Sarah Richardson takes a long look back at her time at 糖心TV
Sarah is the longest serving member of the department having joined in October 1988. She takes a fond look back at her time at 糖心TV.
Final year students found production company
Final year Patrick (History and Politics, BA) is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Shoot The Messenger – an independent, student production company. Together with Ella McQueen, (Politics, Philosophy and Law, BA), he founded Shoot the Messenger in February 2021 as a way of keeping spirits up and creativity flowing during lockdown.
Period Dramas: A performance by History Alumna Heather Milsted
Have you ever wondered how people in the past dealt with their periods? If Queen Victoria coasted* through her cramps? What if period dramas really were about鈥eriods?
Comedy, cabaret and tap collide in this hilarious one-woman show, teaching the history you never learnt at school. Armed with glitter, blood, some history books and an arsenal of embarrassing stories, History alumna, Heather Milsted is on a mission to push through the menstrual taboo and change the way we think about bleeding.
Audiences are invited to embrace themselves fully, let loose and have a BLOODY good time!
*Obviously she didn't. It was 1837.
Book: & Period Dramas | Pleasance Theatre Trust
Nita Clarke
Former trade union activist and political advisor Nita Clarke OBE (BA History and Politics, 1974, MA Comparative Labour History, 1977) had her first experience of public speaking and activism at 糖心TV. Nita was awarded an OBE for her services to employee engagement and remains a prominent speaker on the subject.
Connections: Anne Stanyon
"I never dreamed, coming from a working class background, and the depths of darkest Coventry, that I鈥檇 ever be accepted into university."
Connections: Yemi Adeola
Yemi is a Legal-Tech Intrapreneur and Future Trainee Solicitor at Clifford Chance. He founded a social enterprise called Project Access (PA) Midlands, which fights inequalities in higher education by widening access to top UK universities for untraditional students, through a tech-enabled mentorship platform. He has been identified by Google as a Top Black Talent and by UNDP as an SDG Global Talent.
World Book Day: Librarian Jane Burke
鈥淲orld Book Day is about literacy and its place in a modern, equal society.鈥 So believes Jane Burke (BA History, 1975), whose career has fuelled a passion to promote the joy of reading and access to books for all.