Fiona Beavis, 7 August, 2024
The QUT Alumni team recently hosted an Alumni Hub at Gardens Point campus for Open Day 2024. Alumni Engagement Manager, Fiona Beavis, reflects on the event's success and the joys of reconnecting with our alumni community.
Hosting the Alumni Hub was a great opportunity to meet and connect with future alumni (aka prospective students) and reconnect with current alumni (aka their parents!).
For many, it was their first time on campus in years, and we were delighted to welcome them back with a much-needed coffee and update their details. Keeping our alumni information current ensures they have access to exclusive benefits like discounted rates on health and fitness and professional courses, as well as lifelong library membership.
Nothing beats chatting with our alumni in person, we love learning about what’s changed since they studied and what they’re doing now. We got some fantastic insights!
- Students today have it good! ‘Back in the day,’ there weren’t nearly as many coffee shops and amenities, or a free shuttle bus between campuses, let alone Wi-Fi or online learning.
- Those who hadn’t been back in years were impressed to see the development on campus – most notably The Cube at P Block, which has replaced the old refectory space.
- Most alumni had stayed in the industry they studied for, but some had changed careers or gone on to do a postgraduate course in entirely different fields.
- Some didn’t realise they even were ‘alumni’, despite graduating from QUT! We were happy to let them know that being an alumnus isn’t something you sign up for. If you graduate, you are an alumnus and part of the QUT community – for life!
We also chatted with our future QUT alumni about their study aspirations. There was so much range, with double degrees being particularly popular. The most interesting combination we heard was Science and Dance – very cool!
On a day focused on the next generation, it was nice to engage with alumni and remind them they are always welcome at QUT.
We’re looking forward to growing this initiative in 2025!
Fiona Beavis
QUT degree - Bachelor of Business (2011).
Have a question for Fiona? Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Author
Fiona is a marketing and engagement professional, and QUT’s Alumni Engagement Manager. Fiona is a proud QUT alumnus, having graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Business (Marketing).