Alumni Stories

Life lessons from Leonardo da Vinci – For Alumni, By Alumni

Posted on 14 July 2021 by Alumni team

Rose Sgueglia (BA 2008, PGDip 2009) is a writer, journalist and marketing consultant based in Cardiff. She founded Miss Squiggles, a digital magazine and content agency and her work has been published in GQ, La Repubblica, Yahoo and WI Life. Here she describes the unexpected life lessons she learned from a man who lived over 500 years ago.

Examined Life: Agnes Xavier-Phillips JP DL (LLB 1983)

Posted on 23 June 2021 by Anna Garton

Agnes Xavier-Phillips JP DL (LLB 1983) is a woman who’s not afraid to say yes to an opportunity. During her career she’s worked as a teacher, nurse, lawyer, and now volunteers her time and expertise to support a range of organisations.

Why being a School Governor is so rewarding – For Alumni, By Alumni

Posted on 23 June 2021 by Alumni team

When Richard Ayling (BA 1968) retired from the business world, he still wanted to put his skills and experience to good use and discover a new way to contribute to society. Here, he describes the challenging and highly rewarding path he found himself on after applying to be a School Governor.

Queen’s Birthday Honours

Posted on 22 June 2021 by Kate Morgan (BA 2017)

Members of the Cardiff University alumni community have been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Over a third of the Members of the Senedd are former Cardiff University students or staff

Posted on 24 May 2021 by Anna Garton

Of the 60 Members of the sixth Senedd, 22 have close links to Cardiff University and are either alumni, Honorary Fellows, or former staff members.

Creating a happier work environment in a post-pandemic world

Posted on 19 May 2021 by Kate Morgan (BA 2017)

Cardiff University alumna, Megan Wesley (BA 2015) is cofounder and director at Libratum, a ‘wellness in the workplace’ company she created with her mum before COVID-19 hit. Megan explains why now, more than ever, wellbeing is so important and shares some of her top tips for employees and employers to help them create a positive place to work.

Sisters in business – a force to bee reckoned with

Posted on 28 April 2021 by Kate Morgan (BA 2017)

Sisters Gillian Nimmo (BSc 1985) and Jane Nimmo (BSc 1986) studied the same course at Cardiff University over 30 years ago and recently teamed up to run a small eco-friendly business called Let It Bee, selling sustainable skincare products, soaps and other hive products. They work straight out of their kitchens, with the help of thousands of buzzing bees.

Restoring Kenyan Coastal Forests – For Alumni, By Alumni

Posted on 16 April 2021 by Alumni team

A group of Cardiff alumni have started their own charity called the Little Environmental Action Foundation. Freddie Harvey Williams (BSc 2014) writes about his journey towards conservation and working with his friends from Cardiff.

Examined Life: Dr Darren Freebury-Jones (BA 2010, MA 2012, PhD 2016)

Posted on 16 April 2021 by Alumni team

Dr Darren Freebury-Jones (BA 2010, MA 2012, PhD 2016) is a triple Cardiff alumnus and a popular Shakespeare lecturer in Stratford-upon-Avon. His passion has led to some surprising discoveries about the world of literature. He explains why he chose to dedicate himself to the Bard, and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

Brewing up a storm: Sarah John is Bossing It

Posted on 25 March 2021 by Kate Morgan (BA 2017)

Sarah John (BA 2011), founder and director of Boss Brewing, is a woman on a mission to achieve her goals and break barriers along the way. Here, she describes a rollercoaster ride of business successes, battling corporate giants, bringing her newborn to meetings, and generally shaking up the status quo.

One family’s history of female empowerment

Posted on 12 March 2021 by Kate Morgan (BA 2017)

In 1898, Cardiff University offered an opportunity to a young woman that had a huge impact not only on her, but on the women in her family who followed in her footsteps. On this International Women’s Day, we talk to Cassie’s granddaughters about the importance of education for female empowerment.

COVID-19 and cancer: Understanding attitudes and breaking barriers

Posted on 9 March 2021 by Kate Morgan (BA 2017)

Harriet Quinn-Scoggins (PhD 2019) is a medical anthropologist who focuses on cancer research. Once part of the Future Leaders in Cancer Research (FLiCR) programme, she is now involved in the COVID-19 cancer attitudes and behaviours study. Here she explains why an anthropological approach is important, and how this research can improve early cancer diagnosis.

Meet the Volunteer – Glyn Lloyd

Posted on 26 February 2021 by Anna Garton

Glyn Lloyd (PhD 2008, PGDip 2007, MSc 2003, LLB 2002) is Partner and Founder of Cardiff-based Newfields Law, a firm which specialises in immigration law. Having volunteered as student, Glyn has continued to do so as an alumnus, sharing his experience and expertise to help support students realise their potential, regardless of their background.

Celebrating Wales and supporting musicians in the face of COVID-19

Posted on 25 February 2021 by Kate Morgan (BA 2017)

Iestyn Griffiths (BA 2016, MA 2018) describes his journey from being a music-mad child to co-directing a large-scale, digital concert for St David’s Day, celebrating and supporting Welsh musicians.

How my parent’s work ethic inspired me to succeed – For Alumni, By Alumni

Posted on 18 February 2021 by Kate Morgan (BA 2017)

Jackie Yip (BA 2018) has traveled the globe and emersed herself in every opportunity that has come her way. Using the work ethic her parents instilled in her and the support offered at Cardiff University, Jackie filled a few short years with a lifetime’s worth of experiences.

给卡迪夫中国校友的一封信

Posted on 27 January 2021 by Alumni team

很高兴能在这里跟大家打招呼，我是2011年入学的Belinda，毕业于JOMEC新闻传播学院的IPR专业。也许有的校友已经认识我，也许我们还未能取得联系，希望通过这个平台，大家可以联系起来，共同建设更全面的卡迪夫中国校友群组。

Becoming Finnish and living in the EU during Brexit – For Alumni, By Alumni

Posted on 25 January 2021 by Alumni team

Chloe Wells (BA 2007) worked for Cardiff Council after graduation before emigrating to Finland at the end of 2010 where she gained her Master of Social Science and her PhD. Here, Chloe talks about her memories at Cardiff University, becoming a British-Finnish citizen, and living in the EU during Brexit.

Meet the volunteer – Scott Bowers

Posted on 16 December 2020 by Alumni team

Scott Bowers (BA 2003, PGDip 2004) is a Cardiff University volunteer who’s been an alumni ambassador, a member of Cardiff University Court, and a student mentor. He works professionally as chief corporate affairs officer for one of the UK’s leading sports businesses, The Jockey Club, and has recently become a dad. Read on to discover why he is such an enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer.

Internships are ‘mutually beneficial’

Posted on 9 December 2020 by Kate Morgan (BA 2017)

Mohammad Arshad (MEng 2020) completed a summer internship with KGAL Consulting Ltd, offered by a Cardiff alumnus. As a result, he landed himself a permanent role within the company and has kicked-off his career in engineering. We caught up with him to find out how he made the most of the opportunity and secured a job in a highly sought-after field.

Bake Off’s Beca on Cardiff, careers, and cooking

Posted on 26 October 2020 by Kate Morgan (BA 2017)

Beca Lyne-Pirkis (BMus 2004) is a writer, broadcaster and Great British Bake-Off finalist whose career took off in a rather unexpected way. Beca describes her experience on the popular TV series and explains how she applied her music degree skills to other areas of her life. She also divulges some of her wild and wonderful memories as a student at Cardiff University.