Alumni Connect

My Glenside, by Gemma Witchard I have a distinct memory of really being proud to show my mum around Glenside campus when I was a student. I remember saying how I’d love to come back here and teach one day. And here I am doing it! I first visited Glenside on my interview day for … Continue reading "The X Files, Halloween and cherry blossom"

Kathy at ‘Nurses Day of Action’ 1985 (photo © Bristol Evening Post) and Kathy now I first went to Glenside in 1978. I was a second-year student nurse at Frenchay Hospital. The course offered secondments to experience other branches of nursing. I thought I’d try Psychiatry. Student life in the Nurses Home, 1970s I moved … Continue reading "Why I love Glenside, by Kathy Kantor"

Written by Carly Wong from Glenside Hospital Museum. Glenside Campus has been part of UWE Bristol’s story for the past 30 years. Thousands of health and social care students remember their time learning in this unique building and it’s beautiful grounds. The site’s long history has been shaped by care, community, and evolving ideas about … Continue reading "30 years at Glenside"

Law alum Sabeena Pirooz addressed hundreds of students and their friends and family at graduations in Bristol Beacon this July. Watch or read her speech below – Sabeena explains her numerous hats, her driving passion and gives graduates 5 top tips for success. My name is Sabeena Pirooz, and I wear several hats. I am … Continue reading "Five career lessons that shaped my path in Law"

Chartered Engineer and STEM ambassador Alexia Williams has been awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire in the June King’s Honours. Alexia studied a degree apprenticeship in Aerospace Engineering (Manufacturing) at UWE Bristol, graduating in 2022. She works at Rolls-Royce in Bristol, as a Technical Lead. “This recognition reinforces my belief in the … Continue reading "26 year-old Chartered Engineer amongst alumni honoured by the King"

Growing up in a small town in Malaysia, for Thanaselan Rajendran studying abroad was out of the question. It was not even dreamt of. He didn’t grow up with privilege or powerful networks. He lived with his Malaysian Indian family who worked on a plantation estate, where he experienced first-hand the deep structural inequalities in … Continue reading "“I love to talk, love to fight, love justice”"

Alum David McCann won an Emmy earlier this year as Editor of ‘A Real Bugs Life – Love in the Forest’. The multi award-winning National Geographic documentary series shows life on planet Earth from a bug’s eye view. He’s also just worked on the Bristol episode Secret Garden – a BBC1 series commissioned as part … Continue reading "“I see a bit of my Mum in that spider”"

Six alumni have been recognised in the 2026 King’s New Year Honours list. We celebrate their incredible dedication to their work in education, nursing, food procurement and sustainability, youth work, allied health professions and social housing. Thanks to these outstanding individuals, the lives of others have been made better. We’re proud of their extraordinary achievements … Continue reading "UWE Bristol alumni recognised in 2026 New Year’s Honours"

Sparks International Cultural Festival © Sam Phat Production Eight amazing community projects came to life thanks to crucial funding from the UWE Bristol Community Grant this year. In total more than £20,000 was awarded to projects which all had Bristol communities at their heart. Each project centred on building relationships between staff, students and local communities, … Continue reading "Heart-warming stories from UWE Bristol’s 2025 Community Grant projects"

Alum Silas Adekunle was invited by the United Nations to give a statement at the historic launch of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance this autumn. The advice he gave to the General Assembly of world leaders was born out of his experience, passion and expertise as a builder of technologies in both the UK, and … Continue reading "Reporting to the UN: Silas Adekunle calls for inclusion in AI"