September Alumni Newsletter 2021

by · September 1, 2021

Welcome to September’s alumni newsletter. As the summer holidays draw to a close, we’re looking forward to welcoming students back to campus.  

We’re also reminiscing about our first weeks at York St John and Ripon College: walking into the wrong lecture, learning how not to cook pasta and for many, living away from home for the first time.

In the past month, we welcomed prospective students onto campus for the first time in over a year for Open Day events. We enjoyed watching free lectures about the Romans and read blogs from alumni involved with the York Literary Review. In our alumni community, we’ve continued to accept submissions to our alumni business directory and begun finalising this year’s magazine. We also enjoyed posting some fun throwbacks across our social media platforms.  

A statue of Emperor Nero’s head sits on the left of the image. The head is held up by a black rod which sits on a grey plinth. To the right of this, written in the same stone colour as the statue is: ‘ Imperial Power in the Roman World: A public lecture series from York St John University’. The background of this banner is an off-black colour.

When in Rome… 

This Summer, York St John’s history department has been hosting a series of public lectures exploring Imperial Power in the Roman World. Inspired by the latest exhibition about Nero at the British Museum, this lecture series explores several interesting points about Roman power. 

You can catch up with any you’ve missed on the Events YouTube page, including lectures about Nero’s infamous mother Agrippina the Younger, the politics of gossip and the principle of peace in Roman life.  

You can find out more about this month’s upcoming lectures on their blog.  

Four people sit on an ochre, L-shaped sofa. An Apple Macbook sits open on a coffee table. To the left of the picture are two women on one arm of the ‘L’, both are blonde and dressed in business attire. They are both laughing. On the other arm of the ‘L’ are two men in business attire, minus suit jackets. They are also laughing. Behind them, in the background of the shot is a freestanding fish tank.

Have a business, big or small? Join our alumni business directory now 

After a tough year for businesses, we want to support our alumni. Launching this autumn, we’ll be advertising the businesses in our directory to our alumni through our social media, LinkedIn and newsletters. That’s over 20 000 alumni!  

We’re accepting submissions from any size business, with any discount or benefit offered. Complete the form now to be included in the directory launch.  

Remember a Charity Week : 6 – 12 September 

This Remember a Charity Week, we’ll be talking about how the gifts you leave us in your wills, and your regular donations, change the lives of students at York St John.  

Whether you leave us a gift towards a specific project or ask us to begin a new fund in your name, we always honour your wishes. We also encourage gifts which are unallocated to a specific cause or project at York St John University.  

If you’d like to find out more about leaving a gift in your will, please see the Remember a Charity website for general information. For information on leaving York St John a gift in your will, please see our website, or contact our fundraising officer Celia by emailing fundraising@yorksj.ac.uk.  

September scholarships  

This Remember a Charity Week, we’ll also be talking about our two scholarships.  Our Enabling Education and Welcome Back to Education scholarships help the students who need them most continue their studies with us. You’ll be able to find out more about them on our social media channels, and in this year’s magazine.  

Every year we have to raise £18 000 to maintain our scholarship fund. If everyone who received this newsletter gave just £1 today, we’d raise that money instantly. To find out more about our scholarships and how to support them, please see our website.  

A decorative banner. In the background is a longshot of a large bookcase showcasing a range of book spines. In the centre is an off-white box with the following written inside: York Literary Review: The Alumni Blogs.

A lot to blog about 

In the last month we’ve posted three blogs from our York Literary Review Series. Focusing on the relaunch of the inhouse anthology, Catherine’s blog explores the process of the anthology and her publishing plans. The second post, from Indee looks at the process of writing and submitting to the anthology, alongside her current writing projects. Our latest post from Neil explores his writing career and why he chose YSJ to reinvigorate his writing.  

During the process we asked our alumni for their top five book recommendations, why not give one of these a read? 

  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 
  • The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult 
  • Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro 
  • The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket 
  • Gerald’s Game by Stephen King

Tokyo 2020 and Us 

Despite the delay to Tokyo 2020, we thoroughly enjoyed watching the Olympics this summer and the start of the Paralympics. In our latest blog post, we look back at the last time Tokyo hosted the Olympics, and how York St John has an exciting connection to this year’s Paralympics. Find out more now. You can also find out more in this news article on the university website.  

Institute for Social Justice (ISJ) blogs 

York St John has a long history of engaging in social justice. We engage at an institutional level, through placements with partner organisations, and through the careers of our alumni. The ISJ team have recently gathered stories from alumni who work, campaign or volunteer to help change the world and strive towards greater social justice. In the latest posts, read about Mojisola’s Utopia Theatre which develops and promotes the voice of the African diaspora within the arts, and Hannah’s volunteering and employment with food-based charities FoodCycle and FareShareUK.  

Graduation update 

You should have recently received an email to update you about your graduation. If you haven’t received one, and it’s not in your spam folder, please email degreeceremonies@yorksj.ac.uk. 

Class of 2020 

November is a go! With 10 ceremonies over five days, remember to book your day off work, plan your travel and invite your guests. For a full update, please visit the website. To confirm your place, hire your gown and book your guest tickets, please see your original email. 

Remember to confirm your place by 24 September! You can find out more about the structure of your day in the graduation guide.  

Class of 2021 

Your provisional graduation dates for February will be confirmed in October. York St John and York Minster are working closely to monitor how coronavirus is affecting the country, and how this will impact your graduation. For example, the number of ceremonies, whether social distancing will be needed etc.  

In the meantime, you can still submit your Class of 2021 pin badge design. Square or round, hand-drawn or digital, email alumni@yorksj.ac.uk with your completed design now for the chance for it to be shortlisted. 

Six graduates stand facing away from the camera towards York Minster. All six are wearing black graduation robes with a pale blue, dark blue and gold-orange trimmed hood. They are all raising their graduation caps in the air using their right hands.

Upcoming events

This October, York Centre for Writing is excited to host a special event with authors Jenn Ashworth and Richard Smyth. Jenn will be reading from her new novel Ghosted, a thrilling and deeply human novel about how one woman’s life is derailed when her husband disappears. Richard will be reading from his first historical novel The Woodcock. Set in a 1920’s seaside town, its characters grapple with the price of pleasure in the fragile interwar years. Both authors will discuss their work, process, and how the North influences their writing.  

Book your ticket via the Events Eventbrite page.

Webinars

This autumn we’re excited to launch our online webinar series. Including a diverse range of topics, keep an eye out for more information about who’s speaking and when.

Want to get involved? There’s still time to talk to us about hosting a webinar, simply email alumni@yorksj.ac.uk. 

Self-care Sundays 

As September begins, many of you will be starting to see changes. From the back to school rush to the beginning of Christmas stress, or simply getting back into ‘normal’ life, September might be the perfect time to look into self-care. Our Counselling and Mental Health Centre have been sharing posts that might help. In their posts they explore what self-care is, why it’s important and how to support our own. Read more on their blog.

A decorative image of York. Taken from above in a birds-eye view, the entirety of York Minster sits in the bottom, central-right with Dean’s Park and other central green spaces encircling it. In the top middle-right you can see York St John, easily identifiable by its Quad.

Alumni careers

Recent graduates

In the last year, we’ve faced lockdowns, furloughing and for many young people, a lack of job opportunities. But it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. As an alum of York St John, you can access lifelong careers support to help support your career.  

Things you can do: 

For a list of useful links, see the Support for 2021 graduates page on the university website.  

Have you thought about completing a postgraduate course? Graduates from 2019, 2020 and 2021 are currently eligible for our progression scholarship which can give you up to a 50% fee reduction depending on what you achieved at undergraduate. You can find out more here.  

Changing career

Has the pandemic made you rethink your current career plans? Book a free appointment with a career advisor on Launchpad Online to discuss your plans and receive advice on your next steps.  

Not sure what you’d like to do next? Browse the following sites to see what sort of opportunities are out there: 

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