St Andrews: an escape and an awakening
Liz Gerschel (MA 1972) was one of the first women to walk in the Kate Kennedy Procession and has spent a lifetime campaigning for race, gender and disability equality. She…
Category: Alumni Stories
A million miles from Earth
Dr Mark Clampin (PhD 1986) is the Deputy Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate, at NASA, providing executive leadership for NASA’s portfolio of science programmes. He reflects on his PhD at…
A New York Times bestseller shaped at St Andrews
Peter Burns (MA 2004) has spent almost two decades writing non-fiction and working as Managing Director at Polaris Publishing. In 2025, he realised his lifelong ambition of becoming a published…
Voices behind the screen
For Molly Ryan (MLitt 2022), coming to St Andrews for a postgraduate degree marked a change of direction from museums and heritage into a career in film. She reflects on…
Tea, toast and journalism: a career shaped at St Andrews
Christina Mackenzie (MA 1979) chose to study at the University of St Andrews as a nod to her father’s Scottish heritage. She shares memories of her time at the University,…
Around the world on two wheels
Connor McElwaine (MLitt 2015) left his job in school leadership to embark on the adventure of a lifetime: a long-distance bikepacking journey inspired by a desire to understand the world…
Online learning: from optics to AI
Andrei-Ioan Bleahu (MSc 2025) completed the online Masters programme in Data Science at St Andrews. He discusses his decision to study flexibly and remotely, his ambitions to transition into the…
It all started with St Andrews…
Margaret Wood (MB ChB 1970) is a leader in anaesthesiology care, education, and research. From humble beginnings in Leeds, she attended St Andrews where she met her husband, Alastair Wood (MB…
No particular place to go
Fate brought young reporter JP (Paul Jean) Creton (MA 1970) to St Andrews and saw him leave life in the city of jute, jam and journalism for a career in…
Raisin Weekend, the Charities Campaign and NYC: a lasting connection to St Andrews
Jessica Whiteley (MA 2018) is President of the University of St Andrews New York Alumni Club. She reflects on cherished St Andrews traditions, her time with the Charities Campaign, and…