'Making It': UoB alumni style

By Epigram Features

Back in Bristol but still unsure of the direction your life after university is going to take you in? Just come to Bristol and are looking forward to finding out what your options for the future are? Avoiding thinking about it? Already have the answers? Here are a few somewhat unlikely stories of success from some of UoB's alumni, to provide a little bit of inspiration for the start of the year and a reminder that it (probably) will all turn out okay!

James Blunt

By Elaura Lacey, Second Year, History.

I think we all start out the same in the beginning; young, dumb, broke and full of ambition to do something, even if we have no idea what that something is. James Blunt is a prime example of that. When he accepted his Honorary degree in Music in 2016, he revealed that he spent much of his first month at Bristol University sleeping on beanbags and playing his guitar in the Hiatt Baker music rooms.

If that doesn’t make him super relatable, then his confession to switching courses from Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering to Sociology because he couldn’t spell it makes his former student persona that more endearing.

In this case, there was no cosmic energy pushing him towards fame and success, but rather it was his passion for music that became the key; something he did to relax from studies and to annoy his flatmates.

To put it in perspective, it wasn’t until he already became a multi-award-winning artist that he obtained his degree in music.

The important part of his journey was his ability to change his mind and try different things, even if it didn’t seem clear what he wanted to do. In some ways, it is possible that your experience at UoB will shape the person you become to a greater extent than the actual degree you get.

Julia Donaldson

By Robin Connolly, Features Editor

Julia Donaldson graduated from the University of Bristol with a degree in Drama and French in 1970. Born and bred in north London, she started her University of Bristol journey off in halls at Clifton Hill House, what was then a strictly female accommodation.

A student of drama, she took part in several student drama pieces, including the Romanian play I am not the Eiffel Tower, where it is stated in her nomination for Doctor of Letters honoris causa that she played the role of ‘Chief Tree’. Alongside her degree she also played the guitar and busked, a skill she took with her during her period abroad in France. Donaldson met her husband, Malcolm, during her time at Bristol.

Today, Donaldson has written almost 200 books. She is probably best known for her third book, The Gruffalo (1999), which has gone on to sell over 13.5 million copies worldwide. Her writing is well-loved by children and adults alike. However, Donaldson did not write her first book until she was 45, when one of her songs, A Squash and a Squeeze (1994), was rewritten as a book.

For those of you who are unsure yet of what you want to be ’when you grow up’, may Donaldson’s tale remind you that it is perfectly okay if you haven’t yet found your niche.

Josh Lewsey

By Jack Charters, Deputy Features Editor

The twisting career path of former England rugby player and University of Bristol graduate Josh Lewsey is testament to the unavoidable unpredictability of the life of work – an especially daunting prospect from the perspective of a student. Yet it should not be feared.

During Josh Lewsey’s time at university, all indicators pointed to him to becoming a full time rugby union player. He played professional rugby at the highest level whilst studying, for both the Bristol Bears and the England Rugby team. So great was his involvement in international rugby that the University gave special dispensation for him to sit his final exams in Australia, so he could participate in England's 1998 ‘Tour of Hell’.

Yet instead of opting to be a full time rugby union player as expected following his graduation from university in 1998, Lewsey’s career took a turn when he became a commissioned officer in the Royal Artillery from Sandhurst military college in 2001. This stint as an officer did not last long however, with commitment conflicts between the army and rugby forcing him to resign his commission. Although this was an unfortunate setback, it compromised neither his career nor ambition.

Although his prolific professional career in the sport spanned a decade from 1998, which saw him make 55 appearances for the English Rugby Union team and 3 for the British and Irish Lions, his involvement with the University of Bristol spanned an almost equal amount of time. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2009 by the University - 11 years after his graduation.

Following his rugby career, and never one to sit still, his focus shifted to the financial sector, with him undertaking management consultancy and sales trader positions for various corporations between 2009 and 2017. His undertaking as a Asia-Pacific People Advisory Service Leader for Ernst & Young’s Financial Service Office in 2017 seems a world away from his days as a Rugby player and army officer

Hence the step from University into employment should not be a fear for students scared of the unknown - a step in a new direction or career, whether it be caused by obstacles, necessity or passion, will always be beneficial, as exemplified by Josh Lewsey.

Steve Kay

By Georgiana Scott, Investigations Editor

Steve Kay, a triple University of Bristol alumni, is now recognised as a world leading scientist for his work on genes and circadian rhythms.

However, the University of Bristol was not initially a part of his plan to achieve scientific success.

After leaving school, Steve went to study Medicine at the University of Oxford, but after one term he realised he was going down the wrong path. Taking a leap into the unknown he left and joined UoB’s Biochemistry course.

Now having published over 200 scientific papers, he still fondly reminisces over his years at Bristol University. In an interview with UoB he recollected his frequent walks across the Downs to and from Will’s Hall, as well as picking up cider from UoB’s very own ‘Department of Pomology’.

After being dispirited initially by his change in direction, he reminds students ‘to embrace the wrong turns, dust yourself off and get right back in there’. To any UoB freshers who are perhaps discouraged by not getting into their first choice University, you can look to Steven and see that being in a city/University that as he said ‘dares to be different’ is a blessing in disguise.

Featured: Epigram / University of Bristol

Have you been inspired by a particular UoB alumni? Leave us a comment to let us know who!