Your’s truly have been named a finalist for the UKCISA #WeAreInternational Awards in the Alum of the Year category. The #WeAreInternational Awards celebrate the people, teams and organisations who help create exceptional experiences for international students across the UK and being recognised in the Alum of the Year category has made me stop and think about my own journey. This hits different as this recognition is a reflection on my career path and my second inning in the UK.
About UKCISA #WeAreInternational Awards
UKCISA’s #WeAreInternational Awards recognise international students, showcasing education and skills providers and the talented professionals across institutions who contribute towards the UK’s world-leading education sector. They celebrate the individuals, teams and organisations helping to create exceptional international student experiences across the UK, from student volunteers and student groups to universities, students’ unions and pathway providers.
The story behind Alum of the year
I moved to the UK in January 2022 and I didn’t come to the UK knowing exactly where life would take me,I came here as an international student with my child by my side. I studied, learned, struggled, adapted, made mistakes, found my people, built a life, lost a version of me and slowly started creating work that was meaningful to me. The experience of being an international student became much more than a line on my CV. It shaped how I think about belonging, identity, independence, inclusivity, community and what it means to build a life somewhere that wasn’t originally home.
My time at the University of Dundee opened doors for me that I could never have predicted. I did not only finish my masters but I was offered a meaningful job role that gave me an opportunity to help other students sailing in the same boat. Struggling to understand the whole new world, needing support and a listening ear. My career progression eventually led to a PhD at the University of Strathclyde exploring the economic empowerment of single mothers through entrepreneurship.
Looking back, there are so many different versions of me sitting inside this journey, an international student who was trying to find her feet in a new country in her late 30s, rebuilding her identity from scratch, convincing people that I have it in me when got rejected over 400 job applications and 22 interviews.
A mother trying to build a life for her daughter and setting an example for her, a writer who started putting her thoughts on the internet and it became a substantial part of her identity and an academic researcher I am becoming today. Therefore, to be recognised as an international alumna feels incredibly meaningful. I am incredibly proud to be a UKCISA #WeAreInternational Alum of the Year finalist but more than that, I am grateful for the opportunities I got, people I met along the way and experiences, even the difficult ones, that shaped me and the work I do.
