Volunteers impacting change
Volunteers impacting change
Thank you to all our alumni who volunteer their time. This year 7,200 volunteers donated more than 15,600 volunteering hours to help us enhance the student experience bringing their expertise and insights to our student community.
Now in its eighth year, our Alumni Volunteer Awards celebrate our incredible volunteers and express gratitude to the exceptional individuals who contribute so much to our community.
Now in its eighth year, our Alumni Volunteer Awards celebrate our incredible volunteers and express gratitude to the exceptional individuals who contribute so much to our community.
Debbie Hill Award for Exceptional Support of Students
Mohammad Ali Ahsan
(MSc International Management, 2004.)
This year’s recipient of the Debbie Hill Award for outstanding support of students is Mohammad Ali Ahsan (MSc International Management, 2004). Over the past 12 years, Mohammad has supported University of Exeter student recruitment fairs and co-hosted alumni events. He has also been a Country Contact for Saudi Arabia and a member of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region alumni committee, alongside being part of the AskAnAlum outreach programme.
Congratulations to the runners up: Sam Ellis (MA English Studies, 2010), Jessica Whittick (LLB Law (European), 2017, and LLM Law, 2018) and Rob Walker (English and Drama, 1997).
Mohammad expressed his gratitude, stating, “I am deeply honoured to receive the Debbie Hill Award. As I celebrate my 20th anniversary since graduation, I believe it’s our duty as alumni to support our community.”
Nicholas Bull Award for Exceptional Support of the Alumni Community
Holly Allday
(Mining Engineering, 2007.)
2024’s winner of the Nicholas Bull for the Exceptional Support of the Alumni Community is Holl Allday ((Mining Engineering, 2007) for her key volunteering role within the Camborne School of Mines (CSM) Association, a global network which brings together CSM alumni worldwide through frequent activities and events including social events and professional-themed activities.
Holly organises events for alumni, including the annual CSM Gala Dinner. Holly has shown great enthusiasm promoting Exeter opportunities such as, career mentoring of our current students by experienced CSM alumni mentors, and relevant global events to the CSM alumni network.
Holly shared, “Receiving the Nicholas Bull Award is an incredible honour. I’m proud to be part of the Camborne School of Mines community and grateful for the chance to give back.”
Careers Insight Week 2023
Careers Insight Week took place from 27-30 March 2023, with Zoom panels running every day featuring alumni speakers who volunteered their time to share their own university experiences and routes into their careers, in addition to sharing tips and advice as professionals in their industries.
The goal is not only to inform prospective students from Widening Participation backgrounds about different degrees and career paths, but also to highlight that degrees can lead to a wide range of potential career journeys, and that university can open many doors.
Melissa Barrett, Widening Participation Coordinator, said, “The alumni volunteers who participated across Careers Insight Week were all brilliant! We would like to express our gratitude to them for taking part in the panels. It was so valuable for student attendees to hear their stories, their insights, and their paths from university study into their eclectic range of career journeys. 100% of attendees who submitted evaluation feedback, said alumni participation made them feel inspired about the opportunities that studying at university can provide.”
Alumna and volunteer panellist Chinemelum (Chi-Chi) Etiaba (MSc Financial Analysis and Fund Management, 2017) said:
“Though I only spent one year as a student at the University of Exeter, it had a profound impact on my career success. The Career Centre, faculty and curriculum were instrumental in the growth of my soft and hard skills, confidence growth and career-opportunity awareness. It is a no brainier for me therefore, to give back to this institution in any way that I can, and I absolutely enjoyed being a part of the panel during the Careers Insight Week. I also look forward to volunteering my time again in the future, and hopefully I can be a part of the reason some students are made more aware of the career opportunities available to them and how to secure those opportunities.”
