September 2025 – WEST

Forty Years of Friendship Formed in Paisley

19Sep

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Alumni Stories

Forty Years of Friendship Formed in Paisley

Two graduates returned to Paisley Campus recently to mark the beginning of a friendship that has lasted forty years. Mags Easton and Fee Mackinnon met on the first day at the then Paisley College (now UWS Paisley campus) whilst enrolling on the BSc (Hons) Computing Science degree in 1985. Mags commented: “We met as first years in Paisley when I was just sixteen, became best friends and have been a big part of each other's lives ever since. The pair had been talking about how to celebrate the 40th anniversary since they met and got in touch with Ewan in the alumni office to organise a visit to campus. “It was a great way to celebrate our 40 years of friendship, and we were filled with amazing recollections,” said Fee. “I have fond memories of nights out with fellow classmates in...

12Sep

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Alumni Stories

From Radio Dreams to Podcast Reality

Jeicy Kivuyo is an MBA graduate from UWS who, alongside her career in tech, is the founder and host of Stories Next Door - a storytelling platform that shines a light on everyday people with extraordinary stories. Through engaging interviews, cinematic visuals and grassroots storytelling, the podcast explores themes of identity, resilience, culture, and community. We caught up with Jeicy to find out more. The Stories Next Door podcast is one year old this month. Can you tell us how the podcast came about? There’s an African proverb that says, ‘Little by little, the bird builds its nest.’ It means big goals are achieved through small, consistent efforts over time. That proverb sums up my journey with storytelling. I’ve always loved radio. I worked ...

9Sep

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News

Become a Mentor at UWS

Can you motivate people? Do you like helping people to develop? We are looking for inspiring professionals to mentor our students! The UWS mentoring programme is about to kick off for 2025-2026 and we are looking for alumni to get involved in the programme. Alumna and mentor Sarah said: “If I was to give one piece of advice for people thinking about doing mentoring… It would definitely be just to go for it. I got a lot out of it, passing on advice to my mentee and keeping my connections with UWS alive.” As a mentor, you will share your experience of work to help motivate and inspire your mentee and practice many skills including coaching and leadership. “Why did I become a mentor at UWS? First of all it was to give something back. I really enjoyed my time at UWS, it was an extr...

WEST Scholarship Inspires Graduate to First Class Honours Degree

3Sep

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Alumni Stories, News

WEST Scholarship Inspires Graduate to First Class Honours Degree

A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate has credited the WEST Scholarship he received during his studies as inspiration for him to pursue his dream of becoming a university lecturer. Brian Boyd recently graduated with a First-Class Honours degree in Business and Marketing and was awarded the Court medal for his academic achievement. He has now returned to UWS to study MSc Digital Marketing, pursue a PhD, and inspire others as a lecturer. Brian is the first person in his family to earn a university degree, but it wasn’t a straight-forward journey to his graduation in July 2025. Brian explains how a WEST (Widening Education and Supporting Talent) Scholarship helped “change my whole outlook on university.” In the third year of his undergraduate degree, Brian ...