February Alumni newsletter 2022
Welcome to your February alumni newsletter. Last month was fairly busy at York St John University, and this month is shaping up to be the same! Our Creative Centre hosted a range of events, we hosted a fantastic webinar, and we opened our reunion survey.
This month we’ll be marking Chinese New Year, Time to Talk Day and Valentine’s Day. We’ll also be hosting our Class of 2021 graduation ceremonies! We can’t wait to celebrate with our most recent graduates and officially welcome them into our fantastic alumni community.
Chinese New Year
Happy new year (again)! Unlike the calendar used in the UK, the lunar calendar means that a lunar new year starts on different days each year. Each lunar year also has an associated zodiac animal from the Chinese Zodiac, which are cycled through every 12 years. This year is The Year of the Tiger.
You can find out more about how the new year is celebrated on history.com ‘s website. You can also find out what your Chinese Zodiac animal is in this short CBBC quiz.
Romance is in the air
Happy (early) Valentine’s Day to our alumni! Whether you’ll be celebrating with your significant other, meeting up with friends or enjoying all the reduced Valentine’s chocolate on the 15th, we hope you enjoy your day.
Since there’s still a bit of time before the most romantic day of the year, we thought we’d remind you about our alumni discounts and business directory! Shop for loved ones by supporting local and alumni businesses. Browse your alumni discounts and alumni business directory now, including Spa products, jewellery and beautiful artwork.
You can browse our directory on our website and discover your alumni benefits there too.
We’re also asking you to submit your YSJ love stories along with a photo for us to share on the day. Email alumni@yorksj.ac.uk to get involved.
ConGraduation!
It’s finally here – the Class of 2021 graduation ceremonies. We can’t wait to celebrate their fantastic achievements with during their ceremonies. We’ll be stood at the end of the ramp off stage with their Class of 2021 pin badge, so Class of 2021, remember to give us a smile!
Class of 2021, Here are five top tips for your graduation ceremony:
- Arrive early so your guests can sit closer to the front.
- Don’t worry if your gown is sitting weirdly after you’ve arrived at the Minster. There are helpers who straighten it out before you go on stage.
- Remember to pause on stage and smile at the pulpit for your ‘crossing the stage’ photo.
- Consider how cold York Minster will be in winter when you’ll be sitting still for over an hour. Small reusable handwarmers fit in pockets and handbags surprisingly well!
- Enjoy your day! You’ve done the hard bit, so enjoy your moment.
Plus, make sure to read your graduation guide to find out where you need to visit and when!
- Collect your gown and cap from Merchant Taylors’ Hall (Aldwark, YO1 7BX)
- Get your official photo taken at York City Church (Gillygate, YO31 7EA)
- Remember to get a shot in front of our Lord Mayor’s Walk entrance in your full graduation regalia!
We know you’ve got family and friends who might want to watch you graduate but won’t be able to do so from inside the Minster. Luckily, every ceremony is being live streamed on YouTube. Simply check which ceremony you’ll be in by seeing what day and time the live stream starts, and send the link to whoever wants it!
We can’t wait to celebrate with you next week. Tag your photos with #YSJAlumni to share your day with the rest of our alumni community.
A birthday surprise
At the end of last month, alumnus Norman Gregory contacted the university to inform us of his upcoming 100th birthday. In 1940, Norman started at York St John, completed his studies and then joined the RAF. After the end of World War Two, Norman spent many years teaching his local community.
In recognition of his fantastic contributions to his country, his community and to acknowledge the academic rigour of the Certificate of Education, we were proud to award him an Honorary Degree.
You can find out more on our website, find out more about Norman in a BBC article and in this ITV video.
Veteran artist
In a new article on the York St John website, read the inspiring story of alumnus John Cutting who is currently completing his Fine Art MFA. John enlisted at just 17 and served in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles. Since his time in the military, he lives with complex PTSD which impacts his daily life.
Now, John channels his PTSD into his artwork, and has already completed a Fine Art BA at York St John before deciding to progress into his MFA. You can read the article in full on our website.
Webinars
Last month we hosted a fantastic webinar with alumni Dan Braidley and Jack Woodhams. Once their webinar recording is ready, we’ll let you know how to watch it on YouTube.
Unfortunately, our February webinar has been postponed, but there’s still our March webinar to look forward to! Join us on Wednesday 9 March as we hear from award winning comedian Alasdair Beckett-King. You might have seen him last year on popular panel show, Mock The Week! You can find out more about Alasdair, and watch some of his own comedy sketches, on his website.
Book your ticket for our next webinar on eventbrite.
Alumni staff changes
We know that many of you will have spoken to Billy over the years at events, during campus tours, or as the voice at the end of the phone. Now, after 7 years in Alumni, Billy is moving on to his next exciting role at the end of February.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Billy for all of his hard work and to wish him the best in his new role.
Please don’t worry though! The rest of our alumni team will be on hand to answer your calls, emails and of course, give campus tours.
Lots to blog about
In January we posted two blogs early in the month. We posted five reasons you should write a will this new year and why former principal and York St John’s first Vice Chancellor Professor Dianne Willcocks is leaving a gift to York St John.
This month, we’ll be posting a compilation of advice from 2021’s blogs for our latest graduates. We’re posting it on 9 February to coincide with our Class of 2021 graduation ceremonies.
Next month will be a bit busier on our blog. We’ll be marking International Women’s Day with an entire week of posts about our fantastic alumnae! Make sure you’re following us on social media (there are links at the bottom of this newsletter) to celebrate with us.
Upcoming Events
There are quite a few exciting events coming up!
Thursday 3 February, Out of Character presents Voices of Reason
The year is 1812 and York has a dark and dreadful secret. Voices of Reason is a true and important story of mental health reform which continues to resonate today.
Find out more and book your free ticket on Eventbrite.
Thursday 17 February, LGBT+ History Month: In Conversation with Revd. Jarel Robinson-Brown
Join Revd. Jarel Robinson-Brown and Professor Esther McIntosh as they explore the themes in Jarel’s book “Black, Gay, British, Christian, Queer: The Church and the Famine of Grace”.
In his book, Jarel discusses the place of Christian faith and Christian theology as it relates to the Black Queer body and explores how what the Church says about the grace of God often contradicts the lived experience of Black British LGBTQ+ Christians.
Find out more and book your free ticket on Eventbrite.
Thursday 24 February, join us for Professor Esther McIntosh’s inaugural lecture
In this inaugural lecture, Professor Esther McIntosh draws on the feminist slogan ‘the personal is political’ as she explores the extent to which this phrase is still relevant today. In contrast to the current views of ‘gender critical’ feminists, Esther will argue for the inherent compatibility of feminism and trans-inclusion. She will also discuss the necessity of developing an explicitly trans-inclusive feminist theology.
Find out more and book your free ticket on Eventbrite.
Reunions
Last month we launched our Reunion Survey. We’ve received quite a few responses so far, but we’d love to hear from as many of our alumni as possible.
We’re currently asking what sort of reunion events would interest you, including the best time to hold a reunion, any of your own suggestions and whether you’d like a BIG alumni reunion, or something a bit more personalised.
Please complete our survey now.
The survey closes at the end of February, so make sure you’ve shared your preferences!
Careers
As one of our alumni, you’re entitled to lifelong careers support. This includes the ability to chat to a career advisor about your career journey. You can book a chat with a career advisor on LaunchPad Online or by emailing careers@yorksj.ac.uk.
New year, new degree?
Postgraduate study is a fantastic way to enhance your CV, expand your knowledge of a certain subject and increase your academic credentials. As one of our alumni, you receive 10% off most postgraduate courses, including research degrees.
If you’re interested in postgraduate courses, make sure to attend our Open Evening on 23 February. You’ll be able to speak to academic staff, chat with admissions and ask current postgraduate students about their experiences. Book your open evening place now.
Connect with us on LinkedIn
If you haven’t already, connect with us on LinkedIn for job postings, careers advice and more in our exclusive alumni group. Connect with us now.
