July alumni newsletter 2023
Welcome to your July alumni newsletter. Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun? It hardly seems like yesterday we were telling you about the reunion, and now we’re on the final countdown until we welcome alumni to campus. This month is due to be very busy for your alumni team. Alongside last minute reunion preparation, we’ll also be finalising elements of this year’s alumni magazine, starting the pin badge competition for the Class of 2023 and planning some more alumni activities for next year.
In June, it was wonderful to finally see summer come to campus, share two family connections to York St John and share news from our campus. This month, our campus will be welcoming a range of people to campus, including year 12 students (lower sixth) as part of our outreach work, prospective students at our first summer open day and of course, our alumni for Your YSJ Reunion.
York 10k
There is now just over a month until our York St John team runs the York 10k for our scholarship fund! A few weeks ago, three team members met up to go for a gentle 6k run around York, and they’re planning a few more before the big run in August.
Two of our team members have never run a 10k before, so we’re very thankful they chose our 10k challenge as their first distance run!
Our team would like to raise £1500 for our scholarship fund, and together they’ve already raised a third of their total. If you would like to support our team as they take on the 10k, no matter the weather, you can do so on JustGiving.
Your YSJ Reunion
It only seems like yesterday we were announcing our plan to hold a reunion this year, but somehow it’s already July! We’re very excited to welcome over 200 alumni to campus on Saturday 22 July for a fantastic day. Thanks to our ticket sales, which all included a £10 contribution to our scholarship fund, we’ve raised over £2000 for our scholarship fund to support the students who need it most.
We can’t wait to hold our first reunion this decade – keep an eye on our social media to see what we get up to on the day.
Update your details
Please update your alumni details with us. You can do this by emailing alumni@yorksj.ac.uk or by completing this form.
Support your staff with degree apprenticeships
At York St John, we continue to recognise the importance of nurturing talent and staying ahead of the curve in today’s dynamic business landscape. In 2016, a new pathway in education emerged, transforming the options available to working people. Degree apprenticeships offer a transformative and innovative approach that combines academic learning with valuable work experience.
Revolutionise your workforce by developing talent, future-proof your business and cultivate new solutions. If you are interested in developing your career or your workforce with a York St John apprenticeship, please see our current degree apprenticeships on our website.
Help a student with their data
A student is conducting research for their dissertation about the daily habits and routines of entrepreneurs. If you are an entrepreneur, in any field, you can help this student by completing their short survey.
It should only take 10-15 minutes to complete, but it’ll make a big difference to their research.
Do you have a PhD? Our Research Office need you! – not new grads
The Research Office is looking for any alumni who have studied a PhD (whether at YSJ or not!) to discuss their experience of their degree and their career since graduating at our annual research conference Eat. Sleep. Research. Repeat in November.
Whether you went into Academia, Industry, or something entirely different to your degree, we would love if you could come and talk about your experience to our research community. We would love if you could deliver a 10-minute talk and then sit on a question panel alongside other Alumni.
Speakers will be paid for their time, alongside receiving a free lunch.
If you are interested, please contact ResearchOffice@yorksj.ac.uk with expressions of interest.
Haunting in the city centre
Did you know Britain’s most haunted pub is located in York? We’re not entirely sure who ranks haunted hospitality venues, but apparently The Golden Fleece is at the top of the list! An intrepid Metro journalist spent a night there recently and reported ghostly activity.
Do you remember any stories of ghostly activity happening around York when you studied with us?
Digital graduate package
It might be nearly a year since you handed in your last assignments or sat your final exams, but we know that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve found that ‘dream’ job yet. But did you know you can still speak to a career advisor, for free? As an alum you can access career support such as:
- How to format your CV and cover letter
- Advice on preparing for interviews and assessment centres
- Writing a personal statement for further study
- Support for starting your own business
Browse the digital resources available on our website, no appointment required.
To book a career appointment simply email careers@yorksj.ac.uk. Appointments are available outside of term-time, so you don’t have to wait until September to get in touch.
News from YSJ
There’s always something happening on campus, and recently we’ve been highlighting some fantastic achievements from students and staff. These include:
- Final year student Richard Holmes, who was supported by the alumni-funded scholarship, won Ingenuity Programme’s Impact Entrepreneur of the Year award for his groundbreaking project, Global Anthem. His project supports asylum seekers and refugees communicate despite language barriers. Find out more about his amazing work on our website.
- Our Illustration students have received widespread recognition, including students illustrating children’s books and being nominated for the prestigious World Illustration Awards. Find out more about our Illustration students on our website.
- At the end of June, York St John was recognised as training provider of the year in the inaugural North Yorkshire Apprentice Awards. Find out more about this award on our website.
Welcoming an alum back to campus.
At the end of last month, we welcomed alumnus Ged to campus. Ged completed an MBA in Coaching, Mentoring and Leadership and graduated in 2022. As Ged lives in Australia, he unfortunately could not attend graduation in November, but we managed to recapture the magic of graduation on campus during Ged’s visit. Digging out some graduation robes, we arranged for Ged to take his graduation photos in classic graduate hotspots. We took Ged on a historical tour of campus and showed him our incredible Creative Centre. We ended Ged’s visit with a trip to York Minster to recreate a classic York St John graduation experience.
We would like to thank Ged for visiting and letting us be involved with making his visit to campus special!
Alumination
If you’ve ever wondered what your fellow alumni do after leaving York St John, wonder no longer! Earlier this year we launched Alumination, a dedicated site for alumni career stories and fundraising case studies.
If you’d like to contribute your own career story, please complete an alumni snapshot. You can browse Alumination here.
YSJ Families
Last month we posted two fantastic stories from alumni who share a family connection with us.
- Learn about why St John’s College felt like ‘pure luxury’ for alumnus Geoff when he studied with us
- Find out about alumna Pam’s multi-generation connection to us, spanning Ripon College, St John’s College and the College of Ripon and York St John!
We also posted about alumna Nora, who was awarded an honorary degree in 2021. At the time, Nora was 101 years old, making her the oldest alum to receive the award! We were delighted to welcome Nora’s daughter, Margaret, to campus earlier this year to learn more about Nora’s time at Ripon College and how her time there shaped the rest of Nora’s life and career. You can read more about this on our blog.
News from the Students’ Union
At the end of June, we said goodbye to our 2022/3 Sabbatical Officers: Isabella, Aimée and Chris. All three officers have worked hard to produce real change at the university, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.
This month, we’re excited to welcome the 2023/4 Sabbatical Officers into their roles: Matthew, Kamil and Mario. You can read their manifesto points on the Students’ Union website.
Do you want to return to the Students’ Union to help make a difference to the student experience? The Students’ Union are currently hiring two roles: Student Voice Coordinator and Administration Coordinator.
