Category: Student stories

Volunteering with Bristol Women’s Voice on International Women’s Day

Posted on by Careers Service

Volunteering doesn’t have to be a long term commitment, you can still have a positive impact with ad-hoc opportunities.

Hi, I’m Olivia, and I volunteered with Bristol Women’s Voice on International Women’s Day for their event at City Hall.

This experience allowed me to engage with like-minded women in my local community and contribute to a cause close to my heart; tackling gender-based inequality and violence.

Why I volunteered

I volunteered with Bristol Women’s Voice because I wanted to do something to celebrate International Women’s Day 2025.

I also wanted to meaningfully contribute to the amazing work that local women are doing to unite women in Bristol by celebrating their achievements and offering support and information for those who need it

Bristol Women’s Voice was set up in 2013 to ‘listen and make heard the views and voices of women from across Bristol’s diverse communities, empowering them to influence decision-makers’.

My specific role

It was the responsibility of the volunteers to make sure that the event ran smoothly. Upon my arrival at City Hall I became a room steward, helping Bristol girls network set up their first mates event, which is like speed dating but for making new friends!

Next the room was needed for a body confidence dance class and so we had to prepare the room for that. At the same time it was our job to answer questions from members of the public and to make sure that everyone was safe and having a good time.

I also played to my unique strengths and offered to be a media volunteer. For this role I attended one of the panel events being hosted on the day.

I listened to a group of incredible female journalists and creatives, local to the area, talk about the challenges of being a woman in the media industry. They also offered advice for those aspiring to a creative career.

Afterwards, I wrote a blog summarising the panel for the Bristol Women’s Voice webpage.

How I became a volunteer 

I signed up to become a volunteer on the SU’s Volunteering Hub which I heard about during Student Volunteering Week. The process was really simple and I only had to attend one online training session before the day. In total, I only had to give up about 7 hours of my time, which was easy to manage alongside my final year studies.

What I got out of volunteering

Now that I have volunteered, I feel like I have closer connections with my local community and feel encouraged to volunteer with Bristol Women’s Voice again. 

I used MySkills to reflect on the experience and consider how the day might help me with my future career aspirations.

Read the blog I wrote about it here.

If you are considering signing up for a volunteering role, check out the SU Volunteering Hub for some incredible opportunities.

Another way to give back, that only takes a few hours, is the City Challenge Programme which allows you to support a local charity or social enterprise.

Overall, my experience as a volunteer for Bristol Women’s Voice was an extremely positive one, even though it was only over the course of a day. I hope this encourages you to think about the positive change you can make by giving up even a few hours of your time.

My SME Internship: Katie – Next Customer Please

Posted on by Careers Service

Hello, I’m Katie, studying BSc Sociology. I completed an SME internship with Next Customer Please, a digital marketing agency based in Bristol.  

A photo of Katie dressed smartly and smiling sat at a dining table where she worked remotely during her internship.

Next Customer Please help law firms to get more qualified leads through search marketing campaigns, including using Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). During my internship, I delved deep into the social media marketing especially for LinkedIn. Over 10 weeks, I had the opportunity to contribute to digital marketing campaigns and develop marketing skills, especially in the legal field.  

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My Skills: the first step to an international career in human rights

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Hi, I’m Olivia, a final year Politics and International Relations student. I’ve been using the My Skills platform to reflect on my last few years at the University of Bristol and to help me take stock of my transferable skills, ready for the start of my career journey. 

Using My Skills made me realise that the work I’ve done, both for and outside of my studies, has helped me engage with both local communities and the wider world. As I’m aspiring to a career in the NGO/human rights sector, both are attributes that are attractive to potential employers. 

You can use My Skills to complete your skills profile and then figure out the skills pathways relevant to you.

I completed the pathways entitled ‘engaging positively with global issues’ and ‘engaging positively with local communities’, here’s what they helped me realise:

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Last City Challenge of the year: Brave Bold Drama

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It was our final City Challenge event of the year at the Careers Service recently. We had the wonderful Brave Bold Drama join us with their challenge. 

City Challenges logo

City Challenges are a programme of events providing students with the opportunity to engage with charities and social enterprises.

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University of Bristol students take second prize in prestigious employability competition

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In March this year, five Economics and Business Studies students were delighted to take second prize in the prestigious Universities Business Challenge, competing against nearly 40 teams from universities across the country, as far north as St Andrews.

It was a tough slog to reach this position, with the team in question progressing through three rounds of business challenges, intricately designed to test their business strategy, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.

Five teams from the University of Bristol entered the first round, and after completing online business simulations, four were invited to the semi-finals in London. This was an achievement in itself – no other university had as many teams represented at this stage.

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Graduate stories: my experience as a Hogan Lovells campus ambassador

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Amrit is studying law at Bristol, and we recently caught up to hear about her experience working for Hogan Lovells and advice about applying for the campus ambassador opportunity.

Hi, I’m Amrit. The main role of a Hogan Lovells Campus Ambassador role is to act as the firm’s key representative on campus, promoting its opportunities. This involves organising and advertising events.

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Reflecting on the Expansive Futures career series

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Careers Service launches first-ever Expansive Futures series for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences students

The past teaching term saw a Careers Service first – a month-long multi-disciplinary career development series, Expansive Futures: Careers in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. When we sat down to design the series, we knew it’s going to be a good one, but the end result exceeded even our most optimistic expectations!

  • 14 different panels were arranged, covering topics from film and TV to marketing, from public sector to heritage, from charity to law.
  • 48 panellists, including alumni and representatives from local businesses, volunteered their time to share their insights.
  • Over 650 of you engaged with the events, many joining us for more than one event.

We were delighted to get some really positive feedback, so read on to find out what some of our lovely students had to say:

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What I wish I’d known about career planning in my first year  

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Meet Rose, a current finalist and Career Ambassador at the Careers Service, studying Politics and International Relations.

Your university years fly by faster than you think – but the best part? You have those years to cultivate the career you want. Your first year is the prime opportunity to start exploring those options. Here are the tips I wish I had, to begin building those foundations in my first year. 

A picture Rose in front of Big Ben and the London Eye

Explore!  

It can be easy to get overwhelmed at the start of your university journey. Some have lots of exciting ideas about career prospects, other are not sure at all!

I found that a great place to start was mycareer’s guide on ‘Exploring Career Options’. This guide can help you gain more information on your interests. It is also a great option in first year, to ensure you keep all doors open. Now is the time to explore all the possibilities that come your way and make the most of them! 

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The story of Unique Connections

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Dr Beverley Samways has more than 20 years of professional and research experience in the care sector supporting young people with severe learning disabilities, sensory loss and autism. She is the founder-director of the social enterprise Unique Connections, which exists to improve the lives of individuals with learning disabilities who self-injure or are distressed.

Bev recently completed a Churchill Fellowship, spending five weeks in the US exploring trauma-informed approaches to supporting people with learning disabilities. Her report, focusing on how trauma-informed practice can help build resilience back into the UK care sector, can be found here.

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