The University of Bradford is an institution I am proud to have earned a Development and Peace Studies BA Degree from. The relationships that stem from the University have nurtured and grown my professional experiences; I worked at Theatre in the Mill, and completed a graduate internship in the Volunteering Department at the Student Union before working for a Bradford Alumni, Dr Bainomugisha – Executive Director of ACODE, in Uganda for two years.
Having been elected onto the Alumni Association Executive Committee as a Member earlier in the year, I was able to join the first meeting remotely. The Committee brings together a range of Alumni and provides a forum to shape the future of how the University engages with Alumni and maintain that #TeamBradford pride through relationships between Alumni and the University.
Why is this important?
The University of Bradford gave me the key to ‘Making Knowledge Work’ with inter-disciplinary and analytical skills, underpinned by a strong understanding of the human experience of global issues by connecting me with diverse peers. In East Africa, I worked with Professor Francis, Head of Peace Studies Department at the University of Bradford. Being part of the organisation of the 40th Anniversary of Peace Studies Africa Regional Conference, attending the 50th University Anniversary celebrations in Kampala, writing for Braduate Blogs, and contributing to ’ 50 Years, 50 Stories’ helps demonstrate how important relationships between Alumni are after graduation.
The Alumni Association is led by an elected chair, and a group of alumni acting as a voice for the Bradford alumni community, promoting ongoing connections between graduates and with the institution. The AA Executive Committee support the Alumni and Development Office to shape the future of how the University engages with alumni and the ways alumni can maintain mutually beneficial relationships with the University including alumni support and advocacy for Bradford. This blog is one of the first steps in engaging #TeamBradford once they graduate. I sit on the Alumni Association Executive Committee because I want to be as proud of it in fifty years’ time as I am now.
Thanks to the broad spectrum of student experience in Bradford and learning together, my understanding of issues including race, LGBTQ issues, migration, ethnicity, privilege, gender, inequality, peace, conflict, politics, and international relations took place both within and beyond the classroom. The University of Bradford is the type of institution that will continue to stand the test of time in educating well-rounded, intelligent, critical, aware, and empathy-filled citizens of the world. It’s this kind of educational experience that ‘Makes Knowledge Work’.