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.
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.
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.
Eleanor is a pharmacy graduate now working in a community pharmacy in Liverpool. She attributes the ‘nurturing’ approach of her LJMU lecturers as key to shaping her and her colleagues into the professionals they are today. Pharmacists who can show their personality and vulnerabilities with their customers, to build a lasting rapport that creates excellent service for the community they serve.
Chris was born during the Second World War and only studied at university much later in life, like many of the mature students that choose to study with LJMU. He also had a late dyslexia diagnosis, making him realise he just had a different way of thinking and learning.
Bas moved from Spain to study in Liverpool after friendship with the online gaming community brought him to the city. Since then, he has become an award-winning engineering student and is making a difference to the energy sector by creating ways to heat homes and buildings more efficiently.
Chantelle is an alumna and current PhD researcher here at LJMU. She is a writer, public speaker, educator, entrepreneur and activist. She’s a national civil rights campaigner and the founder of Merseyside Alliance for Racial Equality CIC (MARE), a non-profit organisation committed to promoting racial equality across Merseyside through grassroots community-led education and engagement work.
LJMU journalism graduate Ngunan is a successful broadcaster, presenter and producer who is a well-known scouse voice across the city from her work with BBC radio and podcasting. Ngunan is also passionate about supporting the voices of underserved communities, from supporting women with training to get into media to driving culture change and bringing Black voices to the forefront.