Westminster hosted two What Comes Next? events, one for Computer Science and Engineering students and one for Human Nutrition students, which allowed them to hear from recent graduates about what it is like to work in their respective fields.
What Comes Next? is a course-aligned event series aimed at sharing the knowledge and experience of recent graduates. It ultimately helps students to better understand the variety of opportunities and career fields open to them after university.
At the Computer Science and Software Engineering – What Comes Next? event on 1 November, the alumni panel consisted of Kynda Loyola, Scala MET Engineer at Apple and a graduate of the Computer Science BSc Honours Class of 2022; Reda Albatat , Data Management Software Engineer at Vicon and graduate of the Software Engineering BEng Honours Class of 2019; Carmen-Michelle Ienachi, Software Engineer at Natural Motion and graduate of Computer Games Development BSc Honours Class of 2022; Jose Belarmino, Director Global Privacy EMEA at Marriott International and graduate of the Cyber Security and Forensics MSc Class of 2022; and Francine Asante, Solutions Engineer at Salesforce and graduate of the Business Information Systems BSc Honours Class of 2022.
During the discussion, the speakers reflected on their time at the University of Westminster, advising students to make the most of their time there. They also suggested that undergraduate students consider a placement year to make their CVs stand out and gain experience along with explaining that finding a mentor was key to establishing the right relationships.
The Human Nutrition - What Comes Next? event on 7 November featured a range of speakers who all graduated from the University's Human Nutrition BSc Honours. The panel included Eszter O Szabo, a Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr), self-employed non-diet nutritionist and pilates instructor and Lead Nutritionist at Enable (Class of 2021); Amabel Booth, ANutr Director of the Haelan Centre (Class of 2021); Jonathan Hilling, ANutr Perfromance Nutritionist (Class of 2022); and Selina Patel, ANutr Healthy and Sustainable Diets Executive at Sainsbury's (Class of 2021).
The speakers encouraged students to try different things at university and see what they like most and then potentially volunteer in those areas for work experience. They also noted that presentation skills are a key part of Human Nutrition careers, especially when you work closely with clients. Finally, they added that establishing boundaries for a healthy work life balance is an important factor for success.
Speaking about what it was like to be a panellist at the event, Eszter O Szabo said: “I was happy to attend as an alumna as I’ve got so many fond memories of attending Westminster. It was great to see how many students came to the talk and how interested they were, as well as asking questions and networking at the end. I hope that I managed to share some useful advice.”
Find out more about Computer Science and Engineering courses at the University of Westminster.
Find out more about Nutrition and Public Health courses at the University of Westminster.
