My name is Hanna Alam. I was born in Birmingham and moved to London for university. I studied Religion, Politics and Society at King’s College London and was fortunate enough to have a semester abroad at the University of Toronto. Whilst at University I interned with various NGO’s including a charity set up by the Noble Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai. I am also really passionate about teaching other people about by Indian heritage and therefore thoroughly enjoyed being the President of Bollywood Society at university, I particularly enjoyed teaching Indian dance classes. 

In my third year at King's College University I was sponsored by King’s to participate in an internship in Hong Kong with ten other King’s students. I worked for a charity that focussed on helping children in the Philippines through the use of modern technology. Being able to help these children whilst becoming accustomed to life in a new country was a huge achievement for me and one that I am very proud of. 

This summer has been quite unlike any other with the current COVID situation. However, I have tried to use the time at home to pick up new skills and refine old ones. I have started Spanish classes and also play tennis on a weekly basis with my family. I have also tried to improve my Excel skills in preparation for starting with CASE. 

My name is Megan Braniff and I am the incoming CASE Graduate Trainee at University College London. Finishing my degree in History and Political Science at the University of Birmingham in 2019, I have since spent a year as an intern at a small youth charity in South West London, working predominantly with young people who experience high levels of deprivation. During this time, I gained experience in frontline services as well as of event coordination, appeal writing and grant applications. Although my time in the charity sector has just begun, my involvement thus far has encouraged me to continue working to ensure that all young people have equal access to equal opportunities, including a high-quality education, despite any differences in background. This summer, in light of the strange circumstances, I have enjoyed painting, walking, running and anything else that involved the outdoors. I have also been able to continue being a mentor, and part-time youth worker virtually, which is a role I love! 

My name is Amy Cook and I am the incoming CASE Graduate Trainee at Imperial College London. I have just completed a four-year Integrated Master’s degree in Liberal Arts at the University of Bristol. As part of my interdisciplinary, North American-style degree, I majored in Spanish and History, and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity in my third year to study abroad in Spain. 

Volunteering was a crucial part of my time at school and university: in my final year I was the Vice President of Bristol Phab, a youth group bringing together students and young people with disabilities. My experiences with Phab led to my desire to work in the charity/third sector, so I am very grateful to begin my career with the CASE Europe Graduate Trainee Scheme. I also worked as a telephone fundraiser for two telethon campaigns at Bristol, so I look forward to developing my fundraising skills further at Imperial. 

My name is Jackie Yip and I proudly graduated from Cardiff University with a First Class BA in Music with a year abroad in 2018. 

I was born and raised in Bristol where I started piano lessons when I was six years old and this fuelled my love of music and why I chose to study it at degree level. I was a widening participation student who was lucky enough to receive the Cardiff bursary and I spent my first-year fundraising for this to support other students just like me. My parents are immigrants from Hong Kong, so we were often travelling to visit the country, so I became a keen traveller when I entered Cardiff University.  

In my first and second year, I was given the opportunity to travel and perform all across Europe with the University Symphony Orchestra playing piano and percussion. Thanks to the University, I also successfully applied for an internship in Hong Kong for four weeks during the summer, working at a high-end fashion house as their marketing intern.  In my third year, I went on a year abroad to Helsinki, Finland where I studied Musicology at the University of Helsinki and piano playing at the prestigious Sibelius Academy.  During that year, I was also flown to China to perform again with the University Orchestra. 

In my final year, I ran in the Students’ Union elections to become the next Vice President Education and successfully became a charitable trustee for the University and the Union whilst representing all Cardiff Students with their academic Interests. The Following year, I ran to be the Students’ Union President and became Chair of the Board of Trustees of a £10 million-pound charity that was 4th best in the UK as well as Trustee for the University for a second term. I line managed my own team of six Vice-Presidents and led an organisation of over 100 staff. 

I had an amazing time at Cardiff and was lucky to be so well supported during my studies. I was interested in this role so that I could continue to give back to my institution who have already given me so much!