UWS Alumni Blog

Month: March 2025

Alumni Author Winner of Prestigious Award for Fiction
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Alumni Stories, News

Alumni Author Winner of Prestigious Award for Fiction

A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate and author has been named co-recipient of the prestigious Weatherford Award for her novel No Perfect Mothers. Karen Spears Zacharias, who graduated in 2022 from UWS, was presented the 2024 Weatherford Award for Fiction for her novel, No Perfect Mothers, at the Appalachian Studies Association Conference at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville. She shares the award with Taylor Brown author of Rednecks. Karen is an American writer, a former journalist, and author of numerous books. She completed an MA in Creative Media Practice at University of the West Scotland’s Ayr Campus, and the novel was inspired, in part, from her time studying in Scotland. “I am so very grateful to win this award from the Appalachian Studies Center,” said...
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Where Did You GlasGOw? Be part of Glasgow’s 850th celebrations
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News

Where Did You GlasGOw? Be part of Glasgow’s 850th celebrations

This year, Glasgow City Council is celebrating its 850th birthday, and you can join the party! The Where did you GlasGOw? campaign is creating a special living remembrance book to commemorate Glaswegians who have taken the city’s spirit around the world. The book will feature names, memories, and images that tell the story of those who may have left Glasgow but still consider it ‘hame.’ If you would like to appear in the book and be part of history, submit your story or nominate someone here. Alongside this campaign, a yearlong programme of events is taking place, including Taste the Place, a scheme providing the chance for locals and visitors to learn more about the history of Glasgow’s hospitality scene by eating their way around the city, Clyde Chorus, a three-day music extrava...
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Revlon Appoints UWS Graduate as Chief Information and Digital Officer
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Alumni Stories, Profiles

Revlon Appoints UWS Graduate as Chief Information and Digital Officer

One of the leading global beauty companies, Revlon Group Holdings LLC, has appointed a University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate to the role of Chief Information and Digital Officer. Ralph Marshall, computing graduate (1992) from the then University of Paisley, now UWS Paisley Campus, will join Revlon in April 2025, reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer Michelle Peluso. Ms Peluso said: “We are thrilled to welcome Ralph to the Revlon team. Ralph brings a robust global perspective from his many leadership roles at well-known, global brands, in addition to a passion for coaching and mentoring teams. His end-to-end technical expertise and deep understanding of how to leverage technology to strengthen the consumer experience will be critical as we work to unlock the lo...
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Graduates Raise a Glass to Their One-year Anniversary at Isle of Cumbrae Distillers
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Alumni Stories

Graduates Raise a Glass to Their One-year Anniversary at Isle of Cumbrae Distillers

Two University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduates are about to celebrate one year as Managing Directors at Isle of Cumbrae Distillers after packing their bags and moving to Millport, following a chance meeting. We caught up with married couple Caroline Christie and Struan Fraser, both UWS alumni, who became Managing Directors of the Distillery in April 2024, to tell us more about their journey and plans for the future. How did you become Managing Directors of Isle of Cumbrae Distillers? The distillery was founded by five ladies who came out of retirement to create the distillery, and they had a five-year plan to go back into retirement once the five years were up. We bumped into Juli - one of the founding ladies - in Largs when she was promoting the distillery. I fell in l...
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Alumni Interview: Shaheena Salman Alwani
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Profiles

Alumni Interview: Shaheena Salman Alwani

In this profile Shaheena Salman Alwani, who studied Maternal and Child Health at University of the West of Scotland via distance learning, tells us about her career. Tell us about your time at the University I chose the University because of its reputation for excellence in healthcare education. My passion for women and child health, particularly maternal and child health, drove me to pursue a degree that would enhance my skills and knowledge. With experience of working in women and child health areas at Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, I was eager to expand my expertise. The University of the West of Scotland provided me with the ideal platform to achieve this goal. On the course I studied areas including Leadership for effectiveness, Clinical Teaching, Case Ma...
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