2010s

Mario Martin came to the University at age 35 to study for a masters in Cognitive Science. He recounts his time living in a student party flat, the friendships he made in Edinburgh, and how he's now working for an online stockbroker.

Soledad Magnone tells us how her masters from Edinburgh has helped develop a career dedicated to closing the digital divide.

Chunli Zhang's first role after graduation was in investment banking, something that put her on a worthwhile learning curve. But in 2018 she decided to follow her passion and established her own start-up company, WeeKett, that produces smart home appliances. She tells us about being focussed on growing the successful business further, developing her knowledge of sustainable business, and her work to help other companies in Edinburgh be part of the circular economy.

Leonie Beck's combined degree of French and European Union studies set her on a career path in communications for organisations including the European Space Agency and the European Parliament. She's now working for the United Nations in Bonn and is gearing up to inform the German public about COP26 through social media, websites and a podcast.

Gemma Sandie's two Edinburgh degrees represent her passions for both governance and climate, and she's putting that to good use as a Scottish government researcher for Scotland's Climate Assembly.

Alejandra Vasquez hails from Mexico and came to Edinburgh to study a masters in law after completing her undergraduate degree in the United States. Her career since then has seen her inject her passion for human rights in several roles, including her latest in Abu Dhabi.

Following a successful career as a pop music singer-songwriter and composer for theatre and TV, Aleksandra's aspiration to become a film composer led her to relocate from Serbia to study at Edinburgh. After graduation and a role as one of X Factor Adria's season 2 judges, Aleksandra achieved her goal and has now scored two features as well as multiple TV shows.

Ondrej Bohac is a diplomat based in the Czech embassy in Canberra, Australia. He tells us about his time studying International Relations at Edinburgh, the university sporting pursuits that gave him a resilient and international group of friends, and the day to day business of working in an international embassy.

Teacher Rhianna Tweedie talks football, travelling from home to study and how the past year has reinforced her committment to teaching and the wellbeing of her students.

Prague-based Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics graduate Robert shares his journey to his dream job at a San Francisco startup.

Chemistry graduate Benjamin Arenas's time at Edinburgh was characterised by a sense of community, both in and out of the lecture theatre.

German medical researcher Dr Eleonore Blaurock-Busch shares why she started the MSc in Creative Writing at the age of 75.

Patricia Amatriain was inspired by her degree in Performance Costume at Edinburgh College of Art, but has met some understandable challenges since graduation. She tells us about them, her new career path, and also offers some very sound advice to new graduates.

Evgeniia Rusina studied medicine in her native Russia, but the decision not to pursue a career as a doctor led her to Edinburgh where she researched Integrative Neuroscience. She is now completing her PhD in France.

Brian Ness is a semi-retired engineer who took an online masters course in philosophy as a hobby. He's now pursuing a PhD and teaching ethics at a local primary school in Australia.

Ohio-based Justina Or decided to take an online philosophy degree to explore an area of personal interest from the comfort of her own home. She didn't expect to make a career out of it but has gone on to complete her PhD and is teaching philosophy to other online students.

Shirley Pu spent four years studying Russian and History of Art and now works for a museum in Hong Kong. She is also President of the University of Edinburgh Alumni Club of Hong Kong.

Hannah Foley originally trained as a nurse before returning to education to study Illustration at Edinburgh College of Art - a decision that inadvertently led her to a career in writing and also back to nursing. She tells us about the challenges of working in the creative sector and why stories are important when working as a nurse.

Niels Peters Williams has always been fascinated by the relationship between governance and society, and, after graduating in International Relations in 2019, has spent time in both Kenya and Sri Lanka working on various United Nations programmes.

Nicola Aitken combined her love of history with the German language to take a joint degree at Edinburgh. She explains how that ultimately inspired her decision to follow a career that looks at how information is disseminated and how disinformation can become prevalent.

Agustina is from Argentina and immediately fell in love with Edinburgh's beauty and architecture - perfect for her time studying Architectural Conservation here. She also has some sound advice for new graduates.

Yuanyuan made the most of her year in Edinburgh by taking part in diverse academic and cultural activities, and is now using the knowledge she gained at Edinburgh to advance English language learning in China.

Laura Young talks about taking advantage of opportunities and being prepared to take on any challenge, however uncomfortable.

Romesh Palamakumbura talks about geology as a lifestyle and how friendships forged during fieldwork trips are friendships for life.