March alumni newsletter 2022
Welcome to your March alumni newsletter! We hope you managed to have a good February despite the stormy weather and you’re looking forward to the slightly warmer weather ahead.
Last month was very busy at York St John. We celebrated the Class of 2021 across 10 fantastic degree ceremonies, we shared some amazing YSJ love stories on Valentine’s Day and we welcomed prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students to campus.
March is shaping up to be another busy month. Today we’ll be marking Pancake Day and St David’s Day. Next week we’ll be marking International Women’s Day with a week of posts celebrating our alumnae and we can’t wait to share this month’s webinar with you.
Pancake Day
Whether you call it Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday or even Skipping Day (if you know, you know), we hope you enjoy a delicious sweet treat today.
So to celebrate:
- here’s a BBC vegan and gluten-free pancake recipe so everyone can enjoy the day
- a list of the best supermarket-own pancakes to buy if cooking isn’t your thing
- and find out about Scarborough’s local Pancake Day tradition.
Whether you beat your personal best for flipping pancakes or leave the pancakes to the experts, we hope you enjoy a sweet treat today!
International Women’s Day 2022
Held annually on 8 March, this year’s theme is ‘Break the Bias’. Like last year, we’ll be celebrating our alumnae with a week of posts. We’ll be exploring what life was like for some of our earliest alumnae, hearing from a recent graduate who started her own business and posting a few throwbacks too.
You can still read last year’s posts on our blog to get into the spirit of IWD2022 early. You can also learn more about the day on their website.
Webinars:
Join us on Wednesday 9 March at 3:30pm as we chat with alumnus and comedian Alasdair Beckett-King. If you’ve ever thought about a career in comedy, this is the webinar for you to find out how you could get started! Plus, learn about the highs and lows of life in the spotlight – literally!
Plus, you can enjoy short clips of some of his work on YouTube to get in the mood. Including one about Scandinavian crime dramas.
Help students with their dissertation
As part of most of our courses, students complete a dissertation. For many students, this includes gathering data relating to the subject they’re exploring. Two third year students are currently gathering data about graduate careers and workplaces for employed graduates with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome.
If you able to complete their survey about your experiences, they would be very grateful.
You can complete the survey here.
YSJ News
February was a busy month at York St John. At the start of the month, our graduation ceremonies celebrated the achievements of the entire Class of 2021, including our first ever Counselling Psychology Doctorate cohort.
Our campus also achieved its silver accreditation in the Hedgehog Friendly Campus scheme, and thanks to the work of our students, a pioneering linguist was honoured with a blue plaque in York. We also hosted various successful open day and open evening events for prospective students, including one when it snowed!
Upcoming events:
There are plenty of events this month you might want to attend:
Tuesday 8 March 2022, 6pm: International Women’s Day: Covid – A Wakeup Call to Equality?
Join us on International Women’s Day as our expert panel discuss the impact of the pandemic on gender equality at home and in the workplace. Find out more and book your ticket on Eventbrite.
Wednesday 16 March, 6pm: How to Get Published: Agents and Publishers Panel.
Join York Centre for Writing for a discussion on how to get your work noticed, including expert advice from industry professionals. Find out more and book your ticket on Eventbrite.
Saturday 26 March, 5pm: Contagious Laughter: Satire and the Pandemic with Leigh Stein.
As part of York Literature Festival join Adam Smith and Jo Waugh for a conversation with Leigh Stein about her satirical novel Self-Care. This event will also launch Smith and Waugh’s new book Contagious Laughter: Talking About Satire in the Age of Covid-19. Find out more and book your free ticket on Eventbrite.
Are you looking to get your work published?
Last year, we posted some fantastic blogs from the creators and contributors to The York Literary Review 2021. Based on campus and edited by our Publishing MA students, the anthology is currently looking for submissions!
This year’s theme is Movement with writing to centre on York in some way. They’re not looking for anything pandemic related.
Find out more on their website and submit your work by 7 March for a chance to be included!
York St John Communities Centre
Last month people celebrated Valentine’s Day with their nearest and dearest. It’s easy to pop to the shops and buy a card and a small present. But self-love, the ability to love ourselves is a lot harder. Our fantastic YSJ Communities Centre wrote a fantastic blog post with advice on how to engage with what you love about yourself. You can read it on their blog now.
YSJCC are currently accepting people onto their next 10 week ‘Cuppa and Conversation’ group. A free group to help participants make meaningful connections, share experiences and learn some helpful tools to promote self-care. Find out more in their booklet or email cmhc@yorksj.ac.uk for more information and to book your place.
What did you forget at YSJ?
One of our lecturers recently got in touch as they’d rediscovered a bag of swimming medals left behind by a previous student in the mid 2010s! We’d love to reconnect the student in question with their hard-earned swimming medals.
If you studied an Art course with us in the 2010s and left your swimming medals behind, we’d love to get them back to you! Please email alumni@yorksj.ac.uk if you think they belong to you, or if you have any information to help us.
If you’ve got a funny story about something left behind at YSJ after finishing your course, we’d love to know too!
Careers
Thinking about completing a PGCE? Attend this month’s PGCE Open Evening to find out more about the course requirements and expectations. Find out more and book your place on our website.
If teaching isn’t for you, but you don’t think you want to leave academia behind just yet, why not consider a postgraduate degree? Our prepping for postgrad webinar and postgraduate open evening are the perfect opportunities to find out more about postgraduate study.
Find out more about our upcoming open evenings.
Upskill your CV
Whether you’re in your first graduate job or 15th, thinking about completing further study or still waiting for a request for interview, upskilling your CV is never wasted.
This includes looking at your current skills and ensuring you’re highlighting them correctly, and learning new skills to enhance your CV.
If you’re looking for helpful resources, these might be useful:
- FutureLearn has a fantastic range of CV templates and advice on acing your interview
- Google Digital Garage is a great place to look at courses focused on digital skills
- Prestigious American university Harvard hosts a range of free courses on a wide variety of topics
- Could your next job be in cyber? The government’s Skills Toolkit website is a great place to learn a range of marketable skills.
Have you joined our LinkedIn group yet? We’ve started posting regular job postings across a range of industries and are looking to begin posting a range of useful career resources.
Join now – button. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/5131857/
LGBTQ+ History month
Last month York St John marked LGBTQ+ History month in a range of ways. This included holding events, flying the LGBTQ+ flag and the Students’ Union posting some fantastic resources including:
- Information about pronouns (we all use them, and it’s nice to get them right!)
- Inspiring people in LGBTQ+ history
- A list of LGBTQI+ centred and inclusive resources including books, films, TV programmes and much more.
Alumni staff changes
Last month we told you about long-time alumni staff member Billy moving into a new role. We’d like to thank you for all of your well wishes for him. We can’t wait to see him thrive in his new role!
However, this month our Fundraising Officer Celia will also be moving into a new role outside of York St John. Celia has worked hard to raise the profile of York St John’s fundraising activity, including securing further funding for our alumni-funded scholarships to help disadvantaged students. Please join us as we thank Celia for all of her hard work, and wish her the best in her next role!
If you’re looking for your next role , why not check out our Alumni Relations Co-Ordinator and Fundraising Officer roles?
Old Johns: 5-6 March
For the first time since the pandemic began, Old Johns is happening in person! Can our teams beat the current student teams? Pop by the following fixtures to find out:
- Men’s football at 3G2, 5pm.
- Rugby League at 3G2, 12:30pm.
- Volleyball at Sports Barn, 9:30am.
- Hockey at Wakefield Sports Club, time TBC.
- American Football at 3G3, 3:30pm.
- Netball at Sports Barn, 5:30pm.
- Badminton, venue and time TBC.
The Students’ Union will also be open, and are hosting £1 a pint and karaoke on Saturday.
If you’d like any further information about Old Johns, the fixtures or the time, please email Boawe Rankin-Carr from the Students’ Union who is organising the weekend. Their email is: b.rankincarr@yorksj.ac.uk.
