Maureen is a member of staff with the Faculty of Business and Law, and part of the first cohort of employees with the Positive Action Programme. Described by her son as ‘half human, half cyborg’, she says that technology has changed her life since she lost her hearing after contracting malaria in 2010.
Joe is the Chief Executive of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and was chosen as one of LJMU’s Bicentenary year honorary fellows because of his impressive career in the NHS and the positive impact of his leadership in the field across Merseyside and beyond.
Gary is an inspirational alumnus of the Liverpool Polytechnic. Using his background and expertise in computing, teaching and business development, he is truly one of Liverpool’s leading citizens, determined to make positive changes for the people of the city. From his work as a councillor, as the former Lord Mayor, and now as a diversity and equality champion, and ‘pay it forward’ evangelist and major fundraiser, he continues to help people, day in and day out, to reach their potential.
Isaac is a trainee working on reception across campus and is one of the first employees at LJMU with the Positive Action Programme.
Ruth is one of thousands of mature students to have passed through the doors of LJMU, furthering her own career in children’s care and education after gaining her degree in 2016.
Alex is the Co-founder and Director of Liverpool Arts Bar on Hope Street and in the Baltic Triangle, founded with the ethos of supporting and developing grassroots artists across the city, giving them a platform to showcase and celebrate their work. Along with three fellow LJMU graduates, they opened the bar in 2019, survived the Covid-19 pandemic and can now boast that they have the city’s go-to venues for creatives.
Gary is a paramedic science graduate of LJMU with over two decades of experience in the ambulance service. He has now made the transition to become a full-time member of staff at the university, teaching the next generation of health professionals. In 2023 he was named as an Outstanding Teacher at the students’ union awards after being nominated by his students.
Sarah Wright is a Circuit Judge at Sheffield Combined Court and was one of 10 Bicentenary honorary fellows chosen to mark the university’s 200th anniversary in 2023. She is a graduate of Liverpool Polytechnic and has dedicated herself to the law and judicial system for more than 40 years.
Zoe is passionate about people and celebrating diversity. Having witnessed the transformational power of education first-hand, through her mum’s own academic journey as a mature student, Zoe was herself encouraged to go to university and now works for Agent Academy helping people to gain real-world experience and make industry connections to secure amazing jobs.
Habi was born in the Gambia but spent most of her formative years in Germany before moving to the UK. She has overcome the obstacles and discrimination that she faced throughout her childhood and teenage years in Germany, to seek out her own opportunities, to educate herself and to work with others to challenge unconscious bias and promote inclusivity.