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Alumni profiles

PhD graduates celebrating

Once you’ve studied at Birmingham, we hope it’s a relationship for life and we are very proud of all our former students. The School of Social Policy is keen to promote and share the achievements of its alumni.

View our alumni profiles throughout the School of Social Policy:

Health Services Management Centre

Institute of Applied Social Studies

Social Policy alumni

Amy Reynolds, BA Social Policy (2008)

Description: I am working as an International Volunteers Coordinator for an Indian based charity called PAVE. PAVE work to empower the lives of the poorest individuals in North India.

Caroline Cresswell

Description: I've recently started my PhD here in Social Policy. The decision to come to university as a mature student has definitely changed the course of my life. There's not much else I'd rather be doing!

George Wilson, BA Social Policy (2010)

Description: I took the single honours social policy degree. Over the course of my studies, I enjoyed the criminal justice modules and developed a particular interest in British Security Policy and Counter Terrorism, a topic which I chose to form the focus of my final year dissertation in which I explored the impacts of Security Policies upon British Muslims.

Josie Smith, BA Social Policy

Description: I gained a place at the University of Birmingham through the Access to Birmingham (A2B) Scheme and chose the Social Policy programme due to its highly contemporary and interdisciplinary nature.

Lydia Townhill, BA Social Policy

Description: I think that studying Social Policy gave me a sense of the history that this country has of trying to better itself, of applying the simple truths of loving your neighbour to a whole community, and of having confidence that change can happen.

Naila Begum, BA Social Policy

Description: I would thoroughly recommend the degree, as the expertise and knowledge that I gained from studying Social Policy has opened up an excellent career path for me which is a priceless asset to have in today's competitive world.

Naqeeb Ahmed, BA Social Policy (2008)

Description: Since completing my degree, I have undertaken a three month research internship at the Young Foundation, been offered a further research internship at the New Local Government Network (a 'think tank' involved in local government research) and I am currently working at my local council as a policy analyst intern.

Rhea Keehn, BA Social Policy (2010) : Video profile

Description: I studied social policy at Birmingham and I currently work as a Governance Policy and Communications Officer in Northampton. Studying Social Policy at Birmingham was a fantastic opportunity for me to learn about cause and effect for the things that are happening around us in the world today. I currently use the skills that I learnt from that in my day job, looking at policy, looking at corporate governance, about the organisation and how it works, so really it's opened my eyes into looking at the whole focus of the world and what's going on.

Richard, BA Social Policy

Description: Richard took the single honours social policy degree. He decided to study social policy as it allowed him to study a wide range of subjects and issues. Over the course of his studies, Richard enjoyed the criminal justice and diversity modules.

Sam King, BA Social Policy (2005)

Description: One of the features I valued most about the Social Policy programme at the University of Birmingham, was that it offered me a broad and varied programme of study.

Will Monaghan, BA Social Policy (2006)

Description: I am now working as the Cancer Commissioning Manager for Bristol Primary Care Trust, as part of the NHS graduate management training scheme. As part of the training scheme, I am undertaking a Masters degree in Health and Public Sector Leadership based at Birmingham and Manchester Universities.

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Social Work alumni

Alexis Keir, MSocSci Social Work (1999)

Description: Early highlights of my career include working with the Greater London Association of Disabled People (GLAD) and then spending two years with the Deaf Association of New Zealand, having been inspired to work abroad during my studies in Birmingham.

Alix Brown, MSocSci, CQSW (1987)

Description: As an independent social work consultant, trainer and psychotherapist, this work continues to evolve and I see more young people benefit. Currently I am doing further training in animal assisted therapy in order to work with young people whose sexual behaviour relates to deeper issues such as attachment and abuse.

Amanda Foka, MA Social Work (2010)

Description: My career after graduation has taken a promising start with my first job with the United Nations. Understanding of the concept of inequality and social exclusion is key in my work with the UN.

Beth Seeley, BA Social Work (2008)

Description: The most positive aspects of my social work degree were the range of practical placements I was provided with from the University, which meant I got to observe and get involved in many different areas.

Clare Halton, MA Social Work (2007)

Description: I work as a Social Worker in Australia for an NGO - The Salvation Army in Melbourne - as a programme coordinator for an education service provider for young people in residential care, who are no longer attached to a mainstream education setting due to their behaviour.

Gemma Mallett, MA Social Work

Description: The service user and carer involvement was brilliant and I learned a lot from their experiences of good and bad social work practice.

Laura Cheese, BA Social Work (2010)

Description: I am working for Birmingham Local Authority in the Children and Families Directorate. I am a Social Worker in a Safeguarding Team.

Lydia Gill, BA Social Work (2009)

Description: The Social Work Degree prepared me for my practice in respect of the legislation and law.

Nafisa Aksar, BA Social Work (2010)

Description: I feel that the opportunities that I have been given in terms of my work experience and also the theoretical knowledge, has really helped in my role as I am able to draw on things that I have learnt, to do my job as a social worker more effectively.

Natalie Hardware, BA Social Work (2010)

Description: Becoming a social worker has enabled me to put the information and knowledge gained through my studies into practice.

Sharon Sidhu, MA Social Work (2010)

Description: I look at the world with different eyes, as my course provided insight into understanding the world from different sociological and psychological perspectives.