皇家华人

The inside track: How UCL鈥檚 Recent Graduates Network leads in Hong Kong are helping UCL alumni plan their futures.

Supporting the professional development of fellow recent graduates in the midst of a pandemic was never going to be easy, with face-to-face activities being firmly off the agenda. But through creative thinking and hard work, the ambitious leads of the Recent Graduates Network in Hong Kong have built something which might become the model for all global alumni groups.

Rather than just setting up virtual events, the fledgling team - Gokce Narin, Natalie Kwok and Josh Li - decided to go further, creating quality on-demand content that would be beneficial to alumni both now and into the future. They devised a careers-focused video series called Industry Insiders, and the four films they鈥檝e made so far have been watched by nearly 20,000 people worldwide.听

Their efforts are now being recognised, as they have received this year's听UCL 皇家华人 Volunteering听Award for 皇家华人 Group/Network Of The Year.

The UCL bond

Brought together by a UCL search for volunteers last summer, the leads have varied areas of expertise. Gokce studied Economics and Business with Eastern European Studies 鈥� she graduated in 2010 and now works in marketing and content creation. Josh studied Biological Sciences, graduated in 2016 and now works in recruitment. And Natalie did Arts and Sciences, graduating in 2015 鈥� she is now in the tech industry. But all three have a common goal for the Recent Graduates Network 鈥� to create much deeper connections between UCL alumni in Hong Kong, to everyone鈥檚 benefit.

鈥淚 think in life we鈥檙e generally looking for like-minded people,鈥� says Gokce. 鈥淲hen you get into the workforce there are so many people from different walks of life and with different mindsets. But 皇家华人 alumni can often just connect - we often share an outlook, and we have that shared background.鈥�

Josh adds: 鈥淲hen you meet someone and you鈥檙e both from UCL, it's like having a bond. Conversations lead to business ideas, potential partnerships, innovations. It's a really powerful networking tool.鈥澨�

Hope and opportunities

was born of a group brainstorming session, with Gokce鈥檚 marketing and content experience driving the idea. The series 鈥榣ifts the lid鈥� on different industries through interviews with notable UCL alumni working within those fields. The team were responsible for overseeing all aspects of production 鈥� recruiting other volunteers where necessary, and working with UCL鈥檚 Digital Media team to ensure quality in the final editing. Each industry has an introductory video, and a follow-up which answers key questions sent in by alumni and students.

The first two industries profiled were (one of Hong Kong鈥檚 top professions) and . The latter was chosen partly for its current relevance. Natalie explains: 鈥淏ecause of COVID, lots of people have been considering career alternatives. We deliberately decided to profile a start-up owner and also someone who used to be a consultant and then chose to go and work for a start-up. We wanted to bring a new perspective in this pandemic situation and still bring hope and opportunities through our network.鈥澨�

As well as racking up the online views, the videos have had an enormous impact within UCL, with praise from senior staff such as Professor Dame Hazel Genn and Adrian Punaks, and extra promotion via UCL Careers鈥� social media and newsletters. Recent Graduates Network leads in India, the USA and South East Asia are also now producing similar content for their networks.听

Mutual benefits

The benefits of the project are huge, not just for viewers, but also for the team. Josh says: 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have creative or marketing skills before this project. I started from scratch. I鈥檝e learnt project management and skills for future video projects, as well as some negotiating 鈥� asking people for favours can be quite challenging.鈥�

Natalie says she has learnt about connecting with different people: 鈥淏eing able to do this with Gokce and Josh allowed me to work with different people from those in my job, which is a new horizon for me. And the relationships we鈥檝e built with our interviewees have led to some very inspirational conversations."

Gokce adds: 鈥淢eeting more people at 皇家华人as really good for me, and seeing behind the scenes of how 皇家华人orks. You don't get to see that as a student. It鈥檚 been eye-opening.鈥�

Asked if they would recommend volunteering to other UCL alumni, the team give a unanimous 鈥榶es鈥�! 鈥淚t brings back the feeling of when you were studying and connecting with your peers,鈥� says Natalie. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great way to have fun while also doing something good for your community,鈥� says Gokce. And Josh says: 鈥淚 recommend volunteering to anyone who wants to expand their reach and meet new people. This is one of the best things I鈥檝e done this year.鈥�

To help you stay connected with your UCL peers, our volunteers run听alumni clubs and community networks especially designed for UCL alumni all over the world - find a group or network near you.