In conjunction with Student Volunteering Week, the Bristol PLUS Award team held a panel event where a brilliant panel of student volunteers shed light on the holistic benefits of volunteering.
Looking to start volunteering but not sure how to get started? Dive into this blog to learn about the key takeaways from our panellists.
Our panellists included:
Aditya Verma – Socio-Legal Studies (MSc)
Dinara Shaimakhanova – Education (PhD)
Charmaine Sew – International Social and Public Policy (BSc)
Rowan O’Clarey – Mathematics (MSci)
Ione Howells – Environmental Policy and Management (MSc)
Elena graduated from Bristol in 2022 with a degree in English Literature and is now a Communications Consultant at Bright Carbon.
We caught up with Elena about looking beyond the arts and sciences divide with interdisciplinary work.
“It can feel as though there‘s a massive gap between an arts career and a science career, and once you pick a side, you’re stranded there.
The popularity of Sylvia Plath’s fig tree analogy shows just how many people feel like the choices they make close off all other potential futures. I definitely felt this when I was choosing my degree.
There was a sense of finality – that this was my specialism and other routes were now closed. After a lot of back and forth and deliberation, I chose ‘arts’ and studied Art Foundation and then English Literature at University – and I thought that was the end of that for other subjects.
“But, once I started my job search, I realised pretty quickly that the door to other disciplines never really closes.”
“It’s everyone’s job to get sustainability right within a business.”
As sustainability is becoming increasingly important across the world, businesses are constantly evolving for the benefit of organisations and customers alike.
Hosted by Jack Middleton, Sustainability Champion for the Business School, the panel shared their insights into how their employers are addressing business sustainability as well how sustainability is shaping the future of work and gave tips on getting into the sector.
The panel:
Peter Ireson – (BSc 2015): Economist at Deloitte
Joanna Leigh – (MSci 2015): Sustainability Consultant at Think Beyond
Sean Polden – (MEng 2017): Sustainability Manager at Dyson
“From taking up cheerleading as a new sport in my first year of university, to becoming a competition team captain in my final year, my time with Bristol Jets Cheerleading Squad has developed my personal and professional skillset in ways I couldn’t have imagined.”
Below, Lia talks us through the skills she has learnt as Cheer Captain, how your extracurricular activities can translate into employability skills and the benefits of documenting them on My Skills to articulate how your experience is relevant to the job market.
“Taking up a leadership role in a sport society at university, as so many students do, has enabled me to develop a wide array of transferable skills that I will undoubtedly take with me on my career journey.
The Outstanding PLUS Awards (OPA) are open to all Bristol PLUS Award achievers. It offers an opportunity to gain invaluable articulation skills and reflect further on your achievements, leaving you with a sense of pride.
To be eligible, you must be a 2023-24 PLUS Award achiever and nominate yourself by 12 noon Monday 25 March.
Bristol Mentors is now open for applications for home UK students returning for study in 2024/25.
We caught up with Elena (Politics and Sociology BSc), one of two Bristol Mentors Student Associates about her experiences as a mentee on the programme.
Hello! I’m Ella, a final year English Literature student and Career Peer Support Assistant. Here’s a round up of some of the takeaways from the Faculty of Arts Careers Series, which invited 41 University of Bristol alumni and industry experts to share their experiences and tips, and ran through February 2024.
Regardless of which industry you end up in, these 5 insights are transferable across sectors came up again and again…
As part of LGBT+ History Month, the Careers Service hosted a panel event exploring what it’s like in the workplace for LGBTQIA+ individuals.
The event connected current students with speakers from the LGBTQIA+ community who work in a variety of different sectors, allowing those who attended a chance to hear stories and advice, and ask questions.
Our panel included –
Cassie Agbehenu (she/her or they/them) – Director of Impact and Influence, Bristol Students’ Union
Dr Jo Hartland (they/them) – Senior Lecturer, Bristol Medical School
Mateusz Lipinski (he/him) – Business Analyst, Deloitte
Yiran Liu (she/her) – Audit Associate, Deloitte
Raeesa Rajmohamed (she/her) – Barrister, Academic Writer and Human Rights Implementation Centre Advisor
Here are their key tips for LGBTQIA+ people to thrive in the workplace.
