Your STRIVE journey is supported by a team of staff, alumni and external partners who look forward to supporting your experience. Find out more about our team below… and keep checking as our teams continues to grow.
Name: Prof. Iwi Ugiagbe-Green (Academic Director)
Lots of STRIVERS call me “Dr Iwi” – but honestly, Iwi is absolutely fine!
Many congratulations on engaging with STRIVE! I am incredibly proud to have created this amazing programme and am joined by an amazing team of people who make it happen.
I was a first generation student from a lower socio-economic background. I grew up on a council estate and received free school meals. I got to University through clearing and if I can achieve the amazing things I have gone on to do in my career – then so can you!! You just need some advice, support and guidance
Remember – what you put into this programme, is what you get out! Good luck!
Name: C-J Foster (Programme Facilitation & Academic Delivery)
I am an Experiential Learning Specialist with the Rise team. I lead on Internationalisation and EDI in our team and I deliver values-led facilitation with a focus on empathy, kindness and curiosity. This has been fuelled by living and working across five continents in both the education and charity sectors. I am a great believer in collaboration and am co-author of ‘Becoming Culturally Competent’, a resource on Rise and in person training that explores culture, and the notion that by better understanding ourselves and others we can build inclusive spaces of belonging and connectivity.
It is my complete delight to provide the best possible support and opportunities for all of you as you engage in this community.
Name: Mubina Musa (Talk about race forum)
My name is Mubina and I am a Senior Lecturer in Accounting, Finance, and Banking. I enjoy teaching Financial Accounting, Management Accounting and Tax.
As you can see, I like rules and calculations and writing is not my forte! My son is currently studying at Nottingham Uni and my daughter graduated in 2019, providing me with an understanding and empathy for the many challenges that our students face. I hope as a team we can inspire and help these students to grow and see their self worth and potential.
Name: April Kalu (Telling stories)
April has worked in the fashion industry for over 15 years. She has spent 10 years living in London and specialised in Personal Shopping and Personal Styling, working for both herself and luxury fashion brands including NET-A-PORTER and Farfetch.
April is delighted to return to her home city to teach at Manchester Fashion Institute. The fashion industry needs a major renaissance in terms of the equality, diversity and inclusivity it offers. Teaching the next generation of fashion leaders how to do things differently, more inclusively inspires her everyday. Diversifying curriculums and being involved in projects outside of her teaching responsibilities, that enhance the experience for students of colour at university and also creates opportunities for them in the industry excites and drives her. Say hi to her in the corridors, she always open to a conversation about fabulous shoes or being a person of colour in the fashion industry!
Name: Beverley Mallam (ACE workshops)
Beverley is an Academic and Study Skills Tutor (Maths and Statistics) who supports students across MMU with any maths or statistics in their course. This support can be accessed through booking 1:1 appointments by emailing studyskills@mmu.ac.uk or through Study Skills workshops. She achieved her BSc in Maths and Psychology and her PGCE in Secondary Maths. She has also previously taught Maths in a Secondary and Sixth Form setting.
Name: Charlie Hague (Employment and Employability)
Charlie is a Placement Development Manager in Man Met’s Careers and Employability Service where he works closely with employers in Greater Manchester, across the UK and even overseas to create work experience opportunities such as placements and internships for students.
Charlie’s passion for diversity and inclusion was kindled during his time at Loughborough University where he co-founded and ran their Future Black Talent Programme, which aims to improve the degree and graduate outcomes of students of black heritage by improving their accessibility to careers experiences. He has built on this experience since coming to MMU and is excited to bring his enthusiasm, experience and connections to the STIRVE team!
Name : Mariana Kaiseler (Health and Well-being)
Mariana is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS), a Registered Practitioner with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).
Mariana is a transnational scientist-practitioner with over 15 years of experience in the applied field of stress, coping with adversity, and wellbeing in performance environments. Her lived experiences in the U.K. Europe and the U.S.A. inform her multicultural approach to research, teaching, and practice. She has published over 36 full papers in academic journals and has been awarded a prestigious Marie Curie Individual Fellowship by the European Commission Research Executive Agency, becoming the first Marie Curie fellow at the Department of Psychology, University of Porto in Portugal.
Mariana is a Research and Innovation advisor for different funding bodies in the U.K. and Europe, a reviewer for international journals in Psychology, a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) lead for the Department of Sport and Exercise Science at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Name: Muzammal Mann (Q Step)
I am a PhD researcher, Lecturer and Graduate Outcomes Lead based in the Department of Sociology & Criminology, MMU Q-Step Centre for Excellence in Undergraduate Quantitative Methods. My doctoral research is assessing work-readiness of undergraduate students at Manchester Metropolitan University and its correlation and impact on the outcome of graduates entering the competitive graduate employment market. I am passionate about education and developing strategies to enhance the work-readiness attributes of Higher Education students and this includes, embedding employability into the curriculum through work-integrated learning to develop student skillset and opportunities to access internships and graduate level jobs.
Name: Sheri Lawal (Employment and Employability)
I am a qualified Careers Adviser (PgDip QCD) with over eight years’ experience working to provide student-facing support in various educational settings. I currently work as a Careers Adviser at Manchester Metropolitan University in the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
I am particularly adept at building strong relationships with stakeholders and effectively supporting students at all stages of their education and career-planning journey.
As a person who understands the transformative nature of good information, advice and guidance (IAG), I am passionate about empowering students to make informed and values-driven choices while developing their skills and attributes. I am also keen to work towards dismantling the misconceptions surrounding higher education and improving the experiences of students who are first in their family to attend university.
I’m a mum to a lively 10-month old which takes up most of my time outside of work!
Name: Ingrid Bale (Creative Connections)
I am Ingrid and I am a textile artist, maker and quilter. I produce work for exhibitions and work with community groups to help build resilience and self-confidence as well as tell hidden stories. I am currently doing a PhD that considers how craft can build hope and resilience in teams, working in the Third Sector. Before this I worked in banking, marketing and tourism. I worked in HE as a career consultant, working with students who wanted to start their creative practices or businesses.
Most of all I love creating and making!
Name: Yolande Zulu (Connect Hub)
Hello,
My name is Yolande.
I work within Student Services as the Inclusive Communities Service Manager. My favourite part of my job is having the opportunity to create fun, and relaxing spaces for students to meet each other, make connections and share unique experiences over a range of activities. One of the ways I get to do so is by supporting the STRIVE programme and running a weekly event called Connect Hub – I hope to see many of you there at some point!
Name: Gavin Douglas
Gavin Douglas is the Programme Leader of the BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Technology programme and is also the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Lead at the Manchester Fashion Institute.
Gavin has professional qualifications and training within the Higher Education (HE) sector and the global fashion and textiles industry; this has provided him with a unique breadth of contemporary knowledge and experience of fashion design culture and pedagogy. Gavin has a vested interest in race equity, diversity and inclusion and is passionate about developing the cultural awareness and EDI knowledge of HE stakeholders through engaging with purposeful dialogues.
Gavin is a Graduate Fashion Foundation Trustee and a Member of Fashion and the Arts Creating Equity (FACE).
Name: Sonya Barlow, STRIVE Patron
Sonya is an Award-Winning Founder of the (Likeminded females network) LMFNETWORK inclusion & careers consultancy, Radio Host of the BBC Asian Network’s THE EVERYDAY HUSTLE, and best-selling author of UNPREPARED TO ENTREPRENEUR. Her businesses have partnered with global companies such as; Google, Santander, Vodafone, Oxford University, Babbel, Steady, Polarsteps, The Oberoi, Barclays, GoCo Group, Institute of Coding and PWC.