Leeds Alumni

We’d love to hear about some of your fondest Leeds memories.

Were you here in the 60s, tuning into Leeds Student Radio or taking part in the infamous sit in of '68?

Or was it the 70s, watching legendary gigs at the Refectory like Led Zep and Captain Beefheart?

Were you here in the 80s, donning your Doc Marten’s to join a CMD March, braving the paternoster in Roger Stevens, and enjoying late nights at The Warehouse?

Or was it more recent than that, enjoying pints in Old Bar, late night cramming in the Eddy B library, and dancing in the early hours at Back to Basics?

If you had the time of your life at Leeds, tell us what you got up to: https://spotlight.leeds.ac.uk/your-time-at-leeds/ -section-Share-your-memories-po0f2H56VM

This National Volunteers' Week, we want to say thank you to the Leeds alumni and supporters who give their time, knowledge and expertise to help Leeds students.

Over the last year, our alumni have:

🌎 Given talks at offer holder events - including in China and India
💻 Provided online mentoring to students and recent graduates
🎤 Given careers talks and spoken at Q&A sessions to provide valuable insights into potential career paths
👔 Provided internship and placement opportunities for Leeds students
🍻 Organised alumni reunions around the globe
💡 Provided words of wisdom, features and blog pieces to help graduates navigate life beyond university

Discover the highlights from over the past year: https://spotlight.leeds.ac.uk/volunteers-week-2026/index.html

She did it!

Leeds researcher Dr Shaunna Burke has become the first woman with stage four incurable cancer to summit Mount Everest, after reaching the peak at 3am on Saturday 23 May.

As an exercise psychologist at the University, Shaunna has dedicated her career to researching how exercise can be used in cancer treatment.

Shaunna said: "I dedicate this climb to everyone who has been touched by cancer. No matter what you are facing, continue to believe, hold on to hope, and do the very best you can each day."

Find out more: https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/5970/summiting-everest-with-incurable-cancer

Everest mission for Leeds researcher with incurable cancer A Leeds researcher is aiming to become the first woman with incurable cancer to summit Mount Everest.

Irish President Catherine Connolly returned to the University of Leeds for the first time since she graduated, as part of her first official visit to England 🎓

Catherine Connolly graduated in 1981 with an MSc in Clinical Psychology, going on to work as a clinical psychologist and then barrister, before embarking on a political career.

During her visit, the President met students from the Leeds University Union (LUU) Irish Dance Society committee, as well as LUU Sport Lead Matty Walsh, who is setting up a Gaelic Football Society ️👯⚽

She also had the opportunity to view items from the University Library’s Cultural Collections, including a rare first edition of Dracula, a copy of Seamus Heaney’s ‘Station Island’, and some Brontë manuscripts 📜

President Connolly was welcomed to the University by Alastair Da Costa CBE, Chair of the University’s Council, its governing body, and Professor Kenneth McDowall, Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Student Education and Experience.

Read more about Catherine Connolly's journey from Leeds in the latest Leeds magazine 👇

https://spotlight.leeds.ac.uk/leeds-magazine-2026/features/irelands-new-president/index.html

Picture credit: Simon Lewis, Simon and Simon photography.

Good luck to alum Frankie Dunn (Chemistry 2010, PGCE 2011), who takes part in the knockout stage of MasterChef UK tonight.

Those lucky enough to live with Frankie during her time in Leeds enjoyed some high-quality student meals, courtesy of Frankie's expertise. She's now progressed through the heats and the quarter finals of the reality TV show with some mouth-watering gnocchi, a "perfect" rib-eye steak, and an experimental sherry, fig and Manchego tart.

Read all about her love of cooking, cooking for housemates during her student days, and her experience on MasterChef UK - and make sure to tune in later: https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/5967/leeds-alum-stars-on-masterchef-uk

“The support I’ve received from the University and its donors has changed the landscape for my whole career,” says Dr Eden Page (MSc Molecular Medicine 2022, Medicine 2024).

Raised in Coalville, Leicestershire, Eden was 14 when her dad was diagnosed with cancer.

“We had a lot of pressures and stress, which coincided with my GCSEs and leading up to my A-levels. I know now that Leeds does lots to take in students from my kind of background and they approached me about Access to Leeds. I qualified because of my school, my postcode and my family income. Sadly, by this time my dad had died.”

Read how alumni and donor support gave her the opportunity to thrive – and could help her to save lives years into the future.

https://spotlight.leeds.ac.uk/thanks-to-you-2026/scholar-stories/eden-page/index.html

After a career researching how exercise can be used in cancer treatment, Leeds researcher Dr Shaunna Burke was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer in 2024.

She now hopes to become the first woman with incurable cancer to reach the summit of Mount Everest – an attempt which will double as a research project by providing data on how her body adapts to low oxygen levels.

She's currently on day 17 of her attempt. Shaunna has previously climbed four out of the seven highest peaks in the world, and ran the Everest Marathon last year.

Read more about her attempt this spring:

Everest mission for Leeds researcher with incurable cancer A Leeds researcher is aiming to become the first woman with incurable cancer to summit Mount Everest.

Using talents honed at Leeds, two alumni produced Stanley Tucci’s latest series in Italy.

Tucci in Italy takes viewers on a journey to discover the real Italy through its cuisine. From gaining access to Italy’s most famous horse race with an entire film crew, to keeping Tucci’s presence a secret in the bustling streets of Florence, read about the joys and challenges of life on set with Hollywood royalty - and how Leeds helped to prepare them for the role: https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/5953/two-leeds-alumni-behind-tucci-in-italy

High above the Parkinson steps, a pair of peregrine falcons are tending to their eggs.

Peregrine falcons are capable of reaching top speeds of over 200mph when diving for prey, making them the fastest animals recorded on earth. Historically, they were found mostly in the uplands of the north or around sea cliffs, but they can now be spotted using tall structures in urban areas – such as the Parkinson tower.

The birds are oblivious to their growing global fanbase. They appear on screens in offices, seniors’ residences, public transport, schools, pubs and even directly below the nest on the Parkinson steps.

With the eggs due to hatch any day now, you can watch a live stream of the nest: https://sustainability.leeds.ac.uk/our-work/biodiversity/university-of-leeds-peregrines/

Did you study abroad during your time at University of Leeds?

Our alumni and supporter community are creating a world of opportunities for Leeds students and early-career researchers to travel overseas.

Whether part of their course, or as an experience beyond the curriculum, generous support is helping students expand their horizons, develop language and leadership skills, and gain vital insights into foreign cultures and the world of work.

Explore some of their photos, and read about their journeys to become true global citizens: https://spotlight.leeds.ac.uk/thanks-to-you-2026/scholar-stories/a-world-of-opportunity/index.html