Volunteering with Essex

Volunteering may look a little different over the next year as we adjust to a new normal following the global pandemic, but we’re really looking forward to continuing our work with alumni to support Essex, and hope you’ll get involved too.

No matter where in the world you live there’s always the opportunity for you to volunteer and support your Essex family. We have a range of ways you can get involved no matter what stage of life you are in.

You can give whatever time you can spare, and opportunities are flexible around your current commitments – plus volunteering is a great way to meet fellow alumni virtually or in your local area! You’ll build you own network and develop your CV, gaining valuable transferable skills, as well as giving back to your university; helping to support the next generation of students and ensuring we stay one of the leading universities in the UK.

As a graduate you could:

• complete an alumni profile and feature in our marketing materials
• organise your own alumni event in your region
• inspire new students at recruitment fairs, school visits and open days
• write a graduate blog or contribute to our social media
• take part in our mentoring scheme for current Essex students and high school students
• speak at an event
• offer a venue or sponsorship

If you’re interested, please do let us know. 

But don’t just take our word for it, here’s what some of your fellow graduates have to say about their experiences volunteering:

Rewarding

“Alumni volunteering has allowed me to use my business experience, in particular supporting entrepreneurial student projects and mentoring them with their career choices. I find it rewarding to pass on my knowledge.”
- Barry van Eupen (Economics, 1971) 

Inspire and reassure

“I’ve written an alumni blog and provided a graduate profile and have found the whole experience a pleasure. I hope I’ve managed to inspire and reassure someone that it doesn’t matter if you don’t know exactly what you want to do or where you want to be in five years’ time or the fact that you don’t yet know anyone in that chosen field. The benefit for me in all this has been realising how much I have grown since university.”
- Jordan Milne (History, 2014)

Happy to volunteer again

“I volunteered for the first time this year, meeting prospective students who were thinking of studying at Essex – sharing my experiences and memories. I’d be happy to volunteer again and would recommend it to other alumni.”
- Nicos Zolotariof (Political Theory, 1996)

Share my experience

“I love volunteering for the university and helping students by sharing my experience. I offer tips on how they can cope with and manage pressure, and I try my best to help them gain more knowledge on working life to prepare them during their final year.”
Satha Alaganandasundaram (Accounting & Financial Management, 1986)