20 Questions
Our Alumni Association is enriched with a diverse range of talent, skills, experiences and unique insights. As a community of over 51,000 University of Cumbria (and legacy institution) graduates worldwide we write to ask you to come together to offer support to the newest members of our community. We are gathering support messages, profile forms, insights and experiences from our alumni to help inspire our new graduates. Can you help today by making a quickfire 20 questions video?
Posted on Thursday, July 2, 2020
What are you up to now?
Have you got an exciting new job, working on a new project, want everyone to know about your own business, had something published or exhibited? Perhaps you are getting married or had a baby? Whatever your news, we would love to hear about it and share it with your fellow alumni. Drop us an email alumni@cumbria.ac.uk to share your story.
Posted on Tuesday, November 3, 2020
.jpg)
Cumbria Institute of the Arts, class of 2007 alumnus, publishes his first book
Tom Boggis studied Creative Writing and Film Studies between 2004 and 2007 at the Brampton Road Campus, then the Cumbria Institute of the Arts. Since graduating he has worked as a designer on many top computer games such as Driver, The Crew, Assassin’s Creed, Ghost Recon and Watch Dogs with company Ubisoft. He has just published his first novel Meera, the first of The Hirono Chronicles trilogy. We caught up with Tom as he reminisces about student days and looks back on his career so far.
Posted on Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Alumni Association: Support, benefits, and services for graduates
Covid has impacted all our lives. You may find yourself on furlough from your job, working from home or included in the millions left unemployed. 2020 has been a challenge. We hope that some of the resources below can help to inspire, inform, support or simply to give you five minutes’ escapism.
Posted on Thursday, November 12, 2020
‘Our book is out at last – and Dad held a copy’
When Jane Bower (S. Martin’s College, 1973-1977) wrote her first novel for children in the early 1980s, she did not imagine that it would be published forty years later, when she had retired. ‘My father, Len Bower, was a trained book illustrator before he became an art teacher’, says Jane. Len illustrated the book superbly – but later lost his sight to Macular Degeneration. 30% of the income from Thread and Thrum goes to support the Macular Society.
Posted on Sunday, February 28, 2021
Career Q&A with class of 2020’s James Strange
James has had a hugely varied and exciting career, from musician in the Royal Marines, loose-leaf tea entrepreneur to microbiologist and now secondary school teacher. He also somehow managed to start up his own successful business during lockdown. James kindly agreed to answer our career questions.
Posted on Friday, July 2, 2021
.png)
The Cumbria Network FAQs
We recently announced the launch of the Cumbria Network, the new hub and mentoring and networking platform for all alumni. The strength of the platform lies in our numbers, the more alumni in the network the merrier, so we would love it if you joined us. To help you understand a little bit more about the Cumbria Network we have answered some frequently asked questions below:
Posted on Monday, November 1, 2021
The Cumbria Network Survey - our response
The Cumbria Network is for all our alumni, and we hope that we can continue to build a platform that is useful and engaging for you. We recently carried out a survey and the response was really positive and encouraging, so thank you for that. We wanted to take this opportunity to address some of the ideas and suggestions and let you know a bit more about our plans for the Cumbria Network going forward.
Posted on Tuesday, November 16, 2021
What's in it for the mentors?
Mentors help students and recent graduates to transition from university to working life. They can work with mentees on their CV and applications, help to identify transferable skills, develop their confidence, provide insights into job functions, industries and roles. Mentors may even introduce mentees to their networks, provide work experience or shadowing. Mentoring can help to advance careers. But what are the benefits for the mentors? What motivates mentors to give back?
Posted on Tuesday, January 25, 2022
.jpg)
Alumni Showcase: Hollie Warren, Creative Writing, class of 2021
Class of 2021 Creative Writing alumnus Hollie Warren started her own online magazine out of a desire to amplify the voices of disabled and chronically ill writers who have found themselves marginalised and misrepresented in the media. Wishbone Words was established in May 2021, published every two months, Hollie has created a beautiful and inspiring publication.
Posted on Tuesday, February 1, 2022
.png)
Legacy love letters
University is one of those classic places that people find love. We know there are many of you out there who found your other halves and soulmates during your student days with us, whether love at first sight over a crowded lecture theatre or maybe in town at the local night club. Thousands and thousands of students have walked these halls over the years, how many epic love stories could our campuses tell? We caught up with four couples, all from the Lancaster campus, who kindly shared their
Posted on Monday, February 14, 2022
International Women's Day #Breakthebias
As part of the University’s equality, diversity and equality drive, it is important we celebrate success and I am therefore delighted to introduce you to a range of stories that embody the theme of #breakthebias as part of International Women’s Day. Vice Chancellor Professor Julie Mennell
Posted on Tuesday, March 8, 2022
ALUMNI SHOWCASE: JOSEPHINE SCALES, ART FOUNDATION, CLASS OF 2000
Alongside her job as a civil servant, Jo is an accomplished artist, illustrator and designer. She runs her own company, Josephine Scales Illustration. She is one of a team of illustrators for Cbeebies, has enjoyed long running contracts with Archant Magazines and British Rowing Magazine and has done work for national museums, amongst others. She also illustrates commissions of any size such as portraits, logos, books, events, creates stationery for weddings or other celebratory events. Jo has re
Posted on Wednesday, March 2, 2022
.jpg)
Be your own boss! The Careers & Employability Service can help!
Have you always dreamed of starting a business? Are you ready to grow or develop an existing side-hustle? At the Careers & Employability Service we can now help you to flourish as an entrepreneur. We’ve just appointed a new Student Enterprise Adviser who can support you from your initial idea to getting your business up-and-running and making those first essential sales.
Posted on Tuesday, May 10, 2022
.png)
Faces from the past
From the moment I first heard that S. Martin’s College (the name by which I knew it) kept a full set of ‘Facebooks’ containing photos of every student in every year, I knew I must go and see them. Three failed attempts, almost three years and one pandemic later, I at last managed to arrange to visit in August this year, thanks to the patient help of Joanne Lusher, the Alumni Relations Officer.
Posted on Monday, October 3, 2022