In this inspirational series our alumni share, in their own words, stories of overcoming challenges, setting up pioneering projects, and bringing about positive change in the world.
Mariam Olafuyi (Clare 2014) set up a social enterprise that helps Africans realise their dreams of accessing post-secondary education. This year, Mariam won a British Council Study UK Alumni Award for Social Action in recognition of her efforts. She reflects on the part Cambridge played in inspiring her.
Phyllis Agbo (Trinity 2004) competed internationally in athletics for over 15 years, mainly as a Heptathlete. This included representing Great Britain & NI in many European League fixtures, as well as England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. She graduated with a degree in Natural Sciences.
Lord Chris Smith (Pembroke 1969) was not only the first openly gay MP in the House of Commons, but also the first openly gay Cabinet Minister in the world. Now he has returned to Pembroke College as Master, where he broke another barrier to become the first openly gay head of a Cambridge College.
Dr Amineh Hoti (Lucy Cavendish 1995) has developed peacebuilding initiatives in the UK and across the world. Amineh's programmes transcend disciplines to help communities from different faiths understand each other and live more harmoniously.
Before Caroline Stephenson (Newnham 1972) set up the Meadow Barns educational centre for sustainability in Cornwall, she’d already built an eclectic career in music performance and education. Her journey has been one of creativity, curiosity and resilience.
Susan Long (Robinson 2005) has always championed the social benefits of manufacturing. Throughout her career, she has brought revolutionary manufacturing technologies to some of the world’s most challenging environments. But wherever she works, Susan’s guiding principles remain the same.
Rachel Nixon (Girton 2012) has worked as a vet in countries across the world. Now, to support the causes she cares about most, she is attempting to circumnavigate the globe in an off-road ambulance.
While lots of us have spent the past few months locked away at home, many members of our worldwide alumni community have been on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19. Read stories from medical professionals, philanthropists, and scientists who have contributed to efforts against the pandemic in a variety of contexts.
Alumni worldwide reflect on their experiences of lockdown amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. Hear from alumni from Qatar to Chile, Zambia to Greece and Australia to Japan.
Charles Sherwood (Sidney Sussex 1978) describes how secretly scaling up the college chapel led to a lifelong love of mountaineering, and a quest to conquer each continent’s most challenging climb.
Poet Usha Akella (Lucy Cavendish 2016) realised that many South Asian diaspora poets experienced exclusion from the wider poetry community. This led her to set up Matwaala — a festival to give visibility and voice to South Asian poets.
Since studying history at Cambridge, Sarah Moore’s (King’s 1996) passion for fairness and equality for all, has led her to become an associate solicitor for one of the top human rights firms in the country.
Okechukwu Nzelu (Girton 2007) discovered a passion for writing and education while at Cambridge. Today he’s a published author and teacher who is encouraging and inspiring the next generation through his work.
Will Lyon Tupman (Girton 2014) looks back on his journey from growing up in care, to studying at Cambridge, to returning once again to the city, to train for ordination with the Church of England.
Sam Browne (Fitzwilliam 2011) explains how he and Alex Rose (St John’s 2008) co-founded 'Let’s Do This', the world’s largest online booking platform for mass-participation sports, and secured investments worth £4m from Usain Bolt, Serena Williams and YCombinator.
Shazia Afzal (Lucy Cavendish 2009) describes how investigating inequality in second language learning led to setting up her own school for underprivileged children.
Studying for the Cambridge Master of Law (LLM) inspired Shanya Ruhela (St Edmund's 2016) to pursue her dreams, and move from the private sector into academia.
Sumita Singha (Trinity 1988) describes coming to the UK to study at Cambridge in the 80s, including being the first woman to wear a sari for graduation.
Alison Davies (Churchill 2010) was surprised to discover that a degree in Natural Sciences could lead to an unconventional career working as an operational meteorologist for the Royal Air Force (RAF).
Ekbal Hussain (Pembroke 2008) describes how his passion for geosciences led to him working for the British Geological Survey. Today he studies earthquake movements to help understand the risks from future shocks to low-income countries.
Simon Chan (Fitzwilliam 2002) and Danielle Ainsworth-Patrick (Fitzwilliam 2007) are Collegiate Shag teachers with Cambridge Swing Dance. We spoke with them to find out about life after graduation and how they discovered dance.
Andrew Lorey (Trinity 2015) describes how the opportunities and experiences he gained at Cambridge were vital to securing a job at Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Hawai‘i.
Anthropologist John Friedman (Darwin 1998) describes how field work opened his eyes to the implications of visual impairment in low income countries. Today he’s part of a charity working to help close the visual divide.
Sam Sudar (St John's 2011) explains that studying an eclectic combination of subjects helped him discover his true passion. Today he’s developing an app for a global health project.
Drawing from her own experiences, Promise Knight (St Catharine's 2007) realised how much mentoring can change a person’s life. Today she has set up her own foundation to mentor young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Since childhood Esuna Dugarova (Churchill 2005) was driven to learn more and see the world. Today she is working for the UN in New York and inspiring girls to pursue their aspirations, while remembering their roots in today's globalised world.
Vinayak Dalmia (Darwin 2006) explains how he was inspired through his studies at Cambridge to find a solution to some of India’s healthcare needs. This lead to the development of an 'Uber-like' ambulance app.
Eloise Skinner (Murray Edwards 2010) describes her journey from growing up in a council estate in London’s East End to working for a leading law firm. Today she’s helping other young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to fulfil their potential.
In search of making a tangible impact on people’s lives, Christopher Pavlou (Jesus 2009) shares how he took the leap from working for a multi-national company to joining a start-up.
Going to university was something Katie Paddock (Corpus 2006) had never even considered until, encouraged by the enthusiasm of her Head of Sixth Form, she submitted an application and held her breath.
Jessica Labhart (Homerton 2008) was the first person in her family to go to university. She describes her experiences of application, interview, studies, graduation and career.
