Calling alumni to inspire future scientists

Meet the Imperial student pioneering a new initiative to encourage recently graduated alumni to volunteer in London schools.

Imperial student Dilshad Shawki (pictured below) is a man on a mission: to bring Imperial alumni into schools to champion the career benefits of an education in science, no mean feat considering he is also completing a PhD in atmospheric physics.

Dilshad has been involved with the Schools Plus initiative since he joined the College in 2012. The scheme run by Imperial Hub, a charity associated with Imperial College Union, sends Dilshad and other student volunteers into London secondary schools to tutor students in STEM related subjects. “I started doing outreach work with schools at the University of Surrey where I completed my undergraduate degree, and having seen the difference it can make I was eager to join the Schools Plus initiative at Imperial”, explains Dilshad. “When students you have tutored are upgraded to be entered for the ‘higher’ GCSE paper, you know that you have made a positive impact.”

Dilshad’s desire to involve alumni in the Schools Plus programme stemmed from his encounters with the students he tutored. “Many of the students I met did not know anyone in their family or community who were in STEM related careers. Even students who had the clear ability to study STEM subjects at a higher level lacked knowledge about what they could do with a STEM related degree. Although as students we can tutor students academically, we aren’t able to explain from experience the career paths open to graduates of STEM subjects.”

National programmes such as Speakers4schools and Inspiring the Future, which bring speakers into schools to encourage students to take opportunities they may not have otherwise considered, gave Dilshad inspiration. “If we want to inspire students from disadvantaged backgrounds to study STEM subjects at university, they need to see examples of recent STEM graduates who have reaped the rewards of their education, and at Imperial we have a huge resource of those people in our alumni.” Dilshad has therefore worked with Imperial Hub and the Alumni Office to launch a pilot Schools Plus programme bringing alumni speakers into partner schools to speak about their career and how their degree prepared them for their job, both academically and more generally. If it is successful it will become a regular initiative and will be rolled out to a number of schools across London.  

It will not just benefit the students says Dilshad, “We hope that alumni themselves and their employers will benefit from the experience, learning about how young people perceive their industry and work, and hopefully inspiring top students to enter their industry.”

If you would like to get involved in the Schools Plus initiative and graduated within the last five years please complete the volunteer form.