Student Volunteering Week Panel Event: What can you achieve through volunteering?

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)
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Looking beyond the arts and sciences divide with interdisciplinary work

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.”

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My SME Internship: Emma – Neurometry

Hi, I’m Emma, a Neuroscience BSc graduate. In 2023, I spent six months working as a research analyst with Neurometry.

I started as an intern on the SME Internship Scheme from January to April and then Neurometry extended my contract.

Neurometry is a start-up that is developing cognitive training tools for older adults. The company is based in London but mostly works remotely.

A photo of Emma, smiling to the camera.
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Cheer to Career: How you can use My Skills to showcase your transferable skills

“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.”

Meet Lia, a final-year Politics and Sociology (BSc) student and a Captain of the Bristol Jets Cheerleading Squad.

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.

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Why nominate yourself for the Outstanding PLUS Awards? – from past winners and honourable mentions

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.

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Ever wished you had a career mentor?

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.

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My SME Internship: Andrea – Famli

My name is Andrea. During my master’s degree in Psychology of Education, I did an SME Internship with Famli.

A photo of Andrea smiling to the camera.

Famli is an app that supports well-being, offering fun challenges to promote physical, nutritional, and mental health in schools and families.   

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Disability and Neurodivergence careers panel – employer and alumni insights

Last term, PwC’s Kim Whippy, Change 100’s Ursula Green, and University of Bristol MEng Aerospace Engineering alumnus, Syirah Ami, joined us at our ‘Disability and neurodivergence career panel’.

They shared their insights into the range of support available for students and graduates:


Workplace adjustments

Reasonable adjustments within the workplace maximise inclusivity, accessibility, and support for employees.

Applicants are encouraged to disclose requests or requirements whenever is most comfortable for them.

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Meet Lola Karpf: volunteer, advocate, and champion of LGBTQ+ friendly spaces

LGBTQ+ History Month aims to increase the visibility of LGBTQ+ people, their history and experiences.

It’s an opportunity to reflect on the progress that has been made for LGBTQ+ rights, whilst also recognising the barriers that still exist and the importance of continuing to fight for equality. 


We caught up with Lola Karpf, an Anthropology (MA) student who is currently completing the Bristol PLUS Award, to find out about the work she’s done to champion LGBTQ+ friendly spaces.

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How extracurricular activities helped me graduate into the music industry

David Simkins is a 2023 MA Music with Innovation graduate with a developing career in music and media.

Between working at a local record label alongside his studies, conducting student orchestras and scoring soundtracks for media projects, (including two feature films and a short film), being mentored by the Head of Marketing at Sony Music’s Columbia Records and interning at SoundCloud, David (pictured right) has been busy in the past 4 years!

Drawing on his experience with soundtracks, tech, and client management, David is pursuing a music career in creative sync and marketing while working to improve industry transparency, education, and inclusivity, especially for the LGBTQIA+ community.

We caught up with David about how his extracurricular activities throughout his degree helped him get to where he is:

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