Tag: Case studies and profiles

International Womens Day 2022 – 5 stories of women working hard to #breakthebias

Posted on by Careers Service

“Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias. Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.” – tagline for International Women’s Day 2022

Happy International Women’s Day (IWD)! 

We LOVE hearing your stories, and get to hear so many of them through the various activities and programmes that we run here at the Careers Service; The Bristol PLUS Award, SME internship scheme, Bristol Mentors, New Enterprise Competition and much more.

Today, we are taking the opportunity to highlight and acknowledge a handful of brilliant female students and graduates who have helped to #breakthebias by exemplifying the missions of International Women’s Day through their various projects, start-ups, and volunteering activities. Prepare to be inspired!

IWD mission: To shine a spotlight on activity uplifting and inspiring women to pursue goals without bias or barrier

Arooba Hameed, Year 3 Cancer Biology and Immunology (BSc)

Picture of Arooba
Arooba

Arooba completely embodies this mission and recently won £1000 of funding in the Development Stage of the New Enterprise Competition for the non-profit community group she founded, Higher Education for Asylum Seekers & Refugees (HEAR). HEAR aims to support refugees and asylum seekers in accessing educational opportunities through guidance, training, mentoring & advocacy. (more…)

City Challenge: Student volunteers help to launch Hartcliffe City Farm cut flower farm.

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A group of smiling students outdoors at Hartcliffe cut flower farm
The student volunteers and Careers Service Community Engagement Team

For the most recent City Challenge, University of Bristol students helped local organisation Heart of BS13 to come up with ideas to promote the opening of a new cut flower farm, focusing on sustainable growth, soil health, and biodiversity. 

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Could you be one of the next SU Elected Reps?

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Nominations are open now for the upcoming SU elections, giving you the opportunity to represent your peers and drive change within the University. 

So, what does it take to make a great campaign? We caught up with some current and past Reps, to find out what skills come in handy on the campaign trail and beyond! 

Campaigning and marketing skills 

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Why I’m choosing teaching as a career

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Ethan Osborn-Clarke is a final year Geography BSc student planning to teach Geography in secondary schools in London once he graduates, following the Teach First pathway.  Other options for getting into teaching exist too – see links further down for details.  We caught up with Ethan to discuss why he’s choosing this career path.

 

Teaching is a popular career choice for many graduates, for various reasons: job satisfaction, security, or to inspire the next generation.

There are many reasons I‘m going into teaching – all confirmed by my primary and secondary observation days and too numerous to go through individually. To try and summarise, I’ve put them into four main areas: fulfilment, differentiation, progression and challenge, giving a glimpse into my rationale for going into teaching.

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My SME Internship: Tom – Beaufort Chancery

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Hi, my name is Tom. Just before my graduation, I reached out to Beaufort Chancery in hopes of building my professional experience through the SME Internship Scheme.

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MOB Football: The inter-cultural football league tackling racism and integrating student communities

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Each year, the Bristol PLUS Award recognises students for their hard work and personal development outside of their studies. Obafemi Alabi, Bristol SU’s Sports and Student Development Officer, is a PLUS Alumni whose inspiring work alongside his studies earnt him both the Bristol PLUS Award and an Outstanding Award.

A photo of Obafemi, smiling
Obafemi Alabi, Bristol SU’s Sports and Student Development Officer, and MOB Football founder

Obafemi achieved both Awards after he completed a sustainable energy internship, worked as the sports representative of the ACS (African and Caribbean Society) and co-founded MOB Football, a new inter-cultural football league, tackling racism and integrating student communities.

 

‘The mission of MOB Football is to assist in creating awareness and tackling the problem of racism and representation within football through collaboration with university teams and societies.

‘MOB Football ran a year-long inter-cultural football league tournament which featured different BAME societies such as the African Caribbean Society, among others. Through this, I was able to provide an innovative opportunity for students from diverse backgrounds to understand different cultures by socialising with one another through football, thereby breaking down cultural barriers.’ (more…)

City Challenges: Students Provide Solutions to Real-life Problems

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The City Challenges are an exclusive programme of events which provides you with the opportunity to engage with Bristol’s charity sector, gain informal work experience, and develop your skills through working on real life challenges posed by local community organisations. 

The first City Challenge involved piloting a problem-solving session focusing on reducing HIV stigma within the medical community, which was supported by the Brigstowe charity and the Careers Service Community Engagement team. 

A total of 10 students took part, developing their teamwork, communication, and decision-making skills to create presentations in which they gave details of how Brigstowe could approach raising awareness in the medical community of unfair and untrue beliefs around people living with HIV.  

This City Challenge allowed students to explore their interest in community outreach as well as learn about how they can be aware of and actively combat their own biases around their attitudes to people who are living with HIV. They explored issues such as how General Practitioners and students can destigmatise their work when dealing with people living with HIV. Brigstowe will now be able to use these ideas for possible future funding bids, marketing campaigns and training sessions. 

The next City Challenge will be based ask the question ‘How can we encourage male university students to talk about their mental health?’ and students will be working with Talk Club and the Community Engagement team. This challenge will be eligible for the Bristol PLUS Award and held on Wednesday 27 October from 11.30am to 5pm and you can sign up on myopportunities. 

6 Top Reasons to do the Bristol PLUS Award…according to PLUS achievers!

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1. Get involved with extra-curricular opportunities 

Maximise your time at university by gaining skills and experience alongside your studies. The Bristol PLUS Award recognises your commitment and personal development in extra-curricular activities such as part time work, internships, student leadership roles and society committees. 

‘At the start of my postgraduate degree in Bristol, I was keen on engaging in as many extracurricular activities as possible and honing my employability skills. The Bristol Plus Award provided just the right motivation for me to do that.’  – Babatunde Osho, Climate Change Science and Policy MSc 

2.  Stand out to employers  

You’ll make your CV stand out from crowd with the Bristol PLUS Award. Less than 5% of the student population achieve the award each year and it is endorsed by employers, who you can read about on our website! 

3. Make progress with planning your future 

The Bristol PLUS Award can help you kick-start your future plans. Evidence shows that PLUS achievers are more likely to make positive progress in their career planning than students who do not take part: 37% of PLUS achievers record a positive change in their career planning progress compared to 27% of non-award students. 

‘It has been a fulfilling and positive experience, which has given me a much deeper awareness of my future.’ – Katie Ingram King, Sociology BSc 

 

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Case Study: Find out about Andreea’s journey with IKEEP!

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The Intrapreneurial Knowledge Exchange Enterprise Pathway (IKEEP) begins with fully funded training to equip you with the skills to drive innovation and bring fresh thinking to businesses. 

Once you’ve completed your intrapreneurial training, you can apply for a project placement and get the opportunity to take your new skills and help a business solve an innovative challenge. 

 

Andreea Patrunjel, MSc in Computer Science

Andreea Patrunjel, a postgraduate student, studying an MSc in Computer Science at the University of Bristol, took part in the IKEEP programme. She completed IKEEP’s online Intrapreneurial training and went on to apply for and take part in the 4-week project placement. She was matched with a Bristol start-up, Groundwaves, a company which have pioneered some of the most powerful haptic technology, and applied it in a footwear product, fusing the worlds of fashion and technology. 

We caught up with Andreea to hear more about her experience with IKEEP… 

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