Journeys to graduation
Discover more about some of our newest alumni.
Ahmed Khaleel
Ahmed Khaleel, 37, who was an academic and human rights activist in Iraq, says he has a lot to thank the University of York for after the trauma of being tortured and threatened with death in his homeland.
Tina Gale
Tina Gale admits her studies at the University of York went a little “awry” - initially after she fell pregnant and then when she went into premature labour.
Sam Heather
Sam Heather, 21, from Probus in Cornwall, learnt to code at the age of 9 and released an app at 15 which has now been used over 22 million times worldwide. Developing some 20 apps since, he came to York to study Computer Science, completing summer internships at Google and Morgan Stanley. Following graduation, he will launch his latest business venture, safety app pingWHEN.
Ekaterina Tckhakaia
Ekaterina (Kate) Tckhakaia, 23, from Russia, will graduate with a BA in Management this summer having presented her undergraduate work at five international conferences.
Sophie Pierce
Enduring cold showers at sunrise, making fuel briquettes from zebra dung and even coming through a bout of malaria may not sound like everyone’s idea of fun, but Environmental Geography graduate Sophie Pierce, 21, took it all in her stride while on a course placement in Africa.
Will Howard
Will Howard, 21, from Oxford, learned to play piano at the age of eight and has gone on to build his own piano while studying Music at York. Sourcing parts for the custom-designed instrument, he plans on donating it to the Department of Music on completion. Will has set up different businesses every year at York, and hopes to launch his latest venture, new social network Börd, on graduation.