18
nights at the Scruffy Squirrel in the SU!
I found Keele to be incredibly
welcoming where everyone mixes
with each other and is encouraged to
get involved in lots of things - I was
a member of the orchestra which I
absolutely loved! Throughout my time
at Keele and by throwing myself into
as much as possible, I feel like I grew
in confidence from being quite shy, and
my view of the world opened up a lot.
If I could give any advice to students
starting out in their university
experience it would be to be open to
all opportunities in your first year and
do everything. You will meet so many
people that will help you along the way
and remember to be present and make
memories.
Amy Brodie, 25, graduated from
Keele with First Class Honours in
Law in 2015. Now working for the
Department of Health and Social
Care, her law career has seen her
move all around the country.
I studied Law at Keele (single honours
LLB) between 2012-2015 and
graduated with First Class Honours.
I was a member of both the law and
barrister society and in my third year,
I was the General Secretary to the
Students’ Union. I was also a gateway
advisor at the local Citizens Advice
Bureau and held a supervisor position
for a popular retail brand.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at
Keele. In my first year, I lived on
campus and engrossed myself in
the ‘Keele Bubble’, making some
brilliant memories and great friends
along the way. I knuckled down a bit
more in my second and third year. My
favourite memory (strangely enough)
was always Tuesday morning when
there was a coffee/hot chocolate stall
outside the Students' Union - the man
was so friendly and made the best hot
chocolate around! He converted me to
white hot chocolates and to this day,
I have never been able to purchase
one as nice as his. I would go see him,
pick up my hot chocolate and meet
my friends in the group study area of
the library and we would stay there
all day when we were not in lectures.
We studied, helped each other and
laughed all the time.
I’m currently a Policy Lead at the
Department of Health and Social Care.
I lead the work on improving outcomes
for people with neurodiverse conditions
and physical disabilities. Previously I
was a member of the secretariat team
for the Independent Mental Health
Act Review where I supported three
main areas; international and domestic
human rights, learning disability
and autism, and interface with the
Mental Capacity Act. The review has
been a huge policy success - every
mainstream political party has agreed
to continue with this piece of work
and our recommendations to the
government and the review team were
shortlisted for a policy and evidence
award and the prestigious Civil Service
Awards 2019. Before that, I led various
different mental health work and also
worked at the Ministry of Justice as a
policy advisor on the Mental Capacity
Act. Policy work was supposed to be a
stop gap for me, a way to fund the bar
professional training course, but I fell
in love with my job so I decided not to
pursue a strict legal career.
My daily work involves developing
policy for the government of the day.
I advise Ministers, the Secretary of
State and No.10 about the policy I
am responsible for. This has included
setting the direction of proposed
legislation. I engage with a range of
stakeholders across government and
beyond to help with my policy work, as
well as responding to press enquiries,
parliamentary questions and any
other queries. This has occasionally
involved linking up with international
counterparts. I can also support
the Secretary of State and junior
ministers at meetings or events with
stakeholders.
I enjoy helping to improve the lives of
some of the most vulnerable people
in our society on a macro-scale and
I still have to double take when I see
some of my work mentioned on the
mainstream news!
Keele Law School were dedicated to
helping me achieve the best degree
possible that would enable me to
have the best chances of a successful
career. Most of the lecturers always
made time to talk me through exam
or essay feedback and answered
questions I had to make sure I had a
real grasp of the subject matter. I made
this quite a laborious task sometimes
because it could take a while for things
to tick into place. In addition, the school
were always facilitating or arranging
networking events to meet with legal
professionals and enquire about their
day-to-day life in the job.
I also met with a career advisor at
Keele to help me think outside the
box with what experiences and job
opportunities would help me stand
out as a job applicant. In fact, it was
this advisor that convinced me to
apply for the Ministry of Justice job
and helped me prepare for my first
graduate interview. If it wasn’t for her
considerate guidance and confidence
in my abilities when I was unsure about
myself then I wouldn’t be where I am
today.
Keele alumna Kimberley
Colombo has held a variety of
impressive roles around the world
since graduating from Keele in
2015, culminating in her current
position as Brand Manager of
Nescafé in Amsterdam.
I attended Keele between 2012 and
2015, studying a dual honours in
Media, Communications and Culture,
and Music.
During my final year at Keele I carried
out work experience at BBC Radio
Stoke which opened up an opportunity
for me to work for the European
Broadcasting Union / Eurovision
News Exchange in Geneva. After
about two years as a news producer,
I transitioned to a social media and
digital role working for the Solar
Impulse Foundation and its CEO
Bertrand Piccard.
A year and a half later, I began
my career at Nestlé working in the
Corporate Communications Team
at the headquarters in Switzerland.
This ultimately led me to my current
role as Brand Manager of Nescafé in
Amsterdam, taking care of one of the