This year we facilitated over 350 mentoring partnerships between a diverse range of students and mentors, on our student alumni platform, ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµConnect. Career Mentoring provides students with a fantastic insight into different industries and provides an excellent volunteering experience for our dedicated mentors.
Thank you! We are especially thankful to our alumni volunteers; we truly appreciate the difference your time makes to our students’ lives and their student experience.
After reading through your nominations, we are thrilled to share with you the winners of the 2025 Mentoring awards.
2025 Mentor Winner
The Career Mentoring Programme was an excellent way to reconnect with ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµUniversity and to play a small part in supporting current students. I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent mentoring and the opportunity to see young talent flourish in such a short time. The ambition, intellectual curiosity and passion to learn reminded me of what it is to be young again! The programme is very well managed and the time commitment for mentor is far exceeded by the satisfaction received from being a part of this initiative.
Nuala Connolly
BA Japanese and Business Studies, 1991
2025 Highly Commended Mentor
As someone who benefited from being a mentee whilst at ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµUniversity, it’s highly rewarding to provide insight and advice back to students who are just starting their career journeys. I’ve met many inspiring and hardworking students who appreciate the scheme and our discussions. I’ve learnt that even by providing a small window into our world of work is really eye opening and valuable for students. I highly recommend the scheme to anyone interested in joining as the programme is well supported and managed by the team.
Alec Roberts
MA Politics, Government & Public Policy, 2022
2025 Mentees of the Year
The mentorship I received is life-changing. My mentors provided a lot of practical advice from their personal experience, which helped me reflect on my personal and career development goals. I gained insights in my field and became more confident in career planning. I would highly recommend anyone who is ambitious and curious about their field to apply for the mentorship program. I am sure you will develop a positive, fruitful and long-lasting relationship with your mentors.
Hiu Ching (Anthea) Ma
MRes Biosciences
Taking part in the Career Mentoring Scheme has been a game-changing experience. Working with Nuala helped me gain clarity, confidence, and direction as I navigate the transition from university to the professional world. Her practical advice, generous network support, and thoughtful guidance encouraged me to push myself, reflect deeply, and stay focused. From strengthening my CV and developing networking skills to refining my vision of the kind of professional I want to become, I've taken away so much that I'll carry forward in my career. I'm very thankful to have had such an inspiring mentor and would highly recommend the scheme to any student looking to grow.
Dominika Markiewicz
BA East Asian Studies
2025 Highly Commended Mentee
Within the study of history, there has always been a feeling of fear regarding the prospect of post-graduation employment. I personally felt like the skills I held were incredibly hard to describe and transfer to applications. Being in my final year, I believed this needed to change very quickly. Fortunately, The Career Mentoring program stood out to be a chance for me to learn how to form these applications. It helped unlock skills I thought were unusable in the field of employment, with a mentor who had the same degree as I, discussing similar fears and potential resolutions, which fuelled me with confidence. Receiving advice regarding networking, professional relations and applications, I plunged myself into various networking and career-related events, creating some incredibly strong links and situations I wouldn’t have had the confidence to find without my mentor.
Through constantly receiving feedback and second opinions from my mentor, the nature of employment seems more of an eventuality than an impossibility. Being able to hold myself confidently when talking professionally, I have truly found myself on better footing thanks to the Career Mentoring Programme.
Frederick Bellamy
BA History
A huge congratulations to all the mentors and mentees who were nominated! We heard some truly inspiring stories, which really highlighted the amazing benefits of mentoring. It's clear these relationships help people grow, share knowledge, and empower individuals. We can't wait to see what our fantastic students and alumni achieve at next year's awards!