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In March, we were excited to welcome members of our global alumni network to speak at our annual series of Make it Happen careers events.

These in-person events for students and recent graduates focused on a variety of sectors including Government and Public Sector as well as Media, Arts and Communications, with alumni representing different career stages within their sectors.

Each session was well-attended by students from all years and levels of study, with the Careers in Charities and Not-for-Profit event attracting more than 140 attendees.

Facilitated by a Sussex Careers Consultant, the alumni panel sessions included a short talk from each of the speakers about their career, where they shared their unique perspective as well as practical advice on getting into the sector and highlighting the valuable skills and experiences which can be gained at university in and outside of the curriculum.

Our speakers mentioned to students that as alumni of Sussex they “had been in their shoes” and reminded them to be flexible and to “jump onto every opportunity that comes sailing along!”  One speaker identified that studying at Sussex had left him with “a set of values” which he had tried to carry throughout his career. Another key piece of advice was that “it doesn’t matter where you are currently, start planning where you want to get to and how you want to get there.”

The panel talks were followed by the opportunity for students to put questions to alumni in the room and alumni joining us online.

In the second half of the event, we moved into the networking space, which gave students an opportunity to network with each other and have more informal conversations with the in-person alumni speakers over drinks and nibbles.

Feedback from our students and alumni speakers about the series of events has been overwhelmingly positive. Current International Education and Development student Eunice Adekunle attended the Media, Arts and Communications event and reflected that:

“It was incredible meeting such talented guest speakers who shared invaluable insights and experiences in their respective fields. Especially during the question-and-answer period. They really took their time to answer the questions. I met Mazin (one of the speakers) afterwards, he encouraged me to open my YouTube channel and I finally took the bold step. Looking forward to more amazing events like this at the 5XÉçÇøÊÓƵ.”

We’re immensely grateful to all the Sussex alumni who gave their time to volunteer at this year’s Make it Happen series of events. If you are interested in taking part next year, make sure you have ticked your ‘Willing to Help’ settings in Sussex Connect or drop us an email at alumni@sussex.ac.uk. More photos from the events can also be viewed on .