Class Notes

Explore stories from your global alumni community in Class notes. In this issue of InTouch Online, we celebrate achievements. Do you have a story to share? Contact us at forever@kcl.ac.uk

Lukshmi Solos

Bioethics Society Reunion

The King’s MSc Bioethics alumni cohort hosted their first reunion in January 2021.

Angelina Tian (MSc Bioethics, 2020) tells InTouch Online, ‘Our group of more than 60 members was brought together by a common experience of the extensive bioethics training at King’s.

Professor Silvia Camporesi recognised the challenges we might face graduating during a pandemic, and came to me with this idea, which I then built into a bioethics alumni community, including current and future bioethics students. We hope to build these reunions into something sustainable and help more bioethics students build valuable networks in whichever career they choose after the King’s experience.’

Rachel Siden (MSc Bioethics, 2016), Research Coordinator at Stanford University, shares that, as well as providing an opportunity to socialise in a socially distant world, taking part in an online reunion can have benefits for career development:

‘The presentations and discussions allow us to share career advice, learn about each other’s bioethics projects, network with others with overlapping research interests, and explore roles in different industries and countries. Bringing us all together in a space where we can support each other academically and professionally is a truly incredible experience. I’m so honoured to have been able to take part.’

Lukshmi Solos (MSc Bioethics, 2016), Programme Strategist at the Global Autoimmune Institute (NYC), shares a similar sentiment:

‘It’s been so impactful getting to reconnect with my former classmates, meet students in the new bioethics cohort and learn what they’re studying from around the world. I know the invaluable impact King’s has had in shaping my career, and it’s so interesting to learn about the unique ways other alumni are using their King’s degree to help shape healthcare and beyond.’

Melissa Gaule (MSc Bioethics, 2016) MA, HEC-C, Director of Palliative Care & Ethics Chair of the only area non-profit hospice provider in Savannah, Georgia, tells us:

‘The opportunity to connect with former cohorts of the Bioethics & Society programme has been a relief and a support in so many ways. I encounter many clinical ethics issues on a daily basis that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through our reunion platform, I have had the opportunity to share the work I’m doing and get feedback from my colleagues across the globe. Taking time to reconnect and make space to hear the experiences of others has allowed me to bring fresh perspectives to my work and my practice. King’s commitment to excellence has far exceeded classroom-based attention. I’m very thankful for the opportunity to stay connected.’

Find out more about organising an online reunion.

Sparsh Sehgal

‘As the class of 2020, I think we have learned to make the most of whatever opportunity is out there.’

Sparsh Sehgal (BSc Business Management, 2020)

Sparsh Sehgal (BSc Business Management, 2020) is the co-founder of Unlock Consultancy and an Investment Banking Analyst at Deutsche Bank. She tells InTouch Online that studying at King’s Business School stood her in good stead to graduate and find work at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A global perspective

‘Studying a Business Management degree allowed me to discover all aspects of business, from marketing and management to finance and accounting. King’s helped me build a diverse and dynamic network, as well as giving me the chance to connect with students, staff and even senior board members from all over the world. I joined societies, associations and business school committees. I also volunteered – it gave me the platform for personal growth and helped build my confidence.’

‘As part of a cohort with students from almost 50 different countries – and being an international student myself – I gained insight into how different cultures and experiences shape our approach towards problems. I made many lifelong friends and also built a professional network around the world.’

Making a connection

‘King’s Business School gave me the platform to foster creative thinking, take the initiative, and seek guidance from some of the best minds in the country. I joined the King’s Business School Diversity Mentoring Programme in 2019.’

‘The programme helped me connect with who I see myself becoming five to ten years down the line. My mentor’s industry experience, background and insights help me to this day, as we stay connected and interact every few months. It’s great to have found a mentor not just for university, but for life.’

Graduating during a global pandemic

‘As the class of 2020, I think we have learned to make the most of whatever opportunity is out there. I would say that my biggest achievement is creating an opportunity even when there didn’t appear to be one. I started my own business – Unlock Consultancy – in July 2020, at the height of the pandemic. It has not only provided consultancy experience to graduates and professionals during the pandemic, but I hope, more importantly, left a positive imprint on the lives of business owners in such a challenging period.’

‘The best piece of advice that I would give to anyone at university is to not fear not knowing what you want to do. Most of the time, we stop ourselves from pursuing things because we don’t know if it is right for us or not. It is not important to do the right thing, because you will never know this early in your life what is right, so focus on gaining experiences. Do whatever grabs your interest now, in whatever opportunity you have. It is this learning that will guide you to your goals and shape your ambitions in life. Three golden words for your career – just do it!’

Social tags:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/sparsh-sehgal-18188764

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sparsh.sehgal

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparshsehgal99/

David Stanley

The Music Man

David Stanley (BMus, 1995–8; MMus, 2000)

David Stanley (BMus, 1995–8; MMus, 2000) is the founder and CEO of The Music Man Project, an award-winning international music education service for children and adults with learning disabilities, providing accessible music tuition leading to inspirational performances.

‘My journey began with one student who inspired me to teach music for its own sake rather than explore clinical and corrective music therapy. I set up a weekly music school for children and adults, devised new teaching strategies and wrote songs specifically for my growing number of students to perform. Many years later, I discovered that my teaching was having a life-changing impact on my students, so I left my job as a Deputy Head Teacher in a mainstream secondary school to establish The Music Man Project as a unique, full-time provision.’

Today, the charity gives grants for accessible arts education, promotes equal access to performance, carries out research, and raises awareness of the achievements of disadvantaged people in the arts. From humble beginnings, The Music Man Project has performed concerts in front of royalty and to sell-out crowds in the Royal Albert Hall and the London Palladium. David has duplicated his Music Man Project across the UK and around the world, reaching South Africa, India, Nepal and the Philippines. His students opened the National Lottery’s 25th birthday TV advert ‘3 is a Magic Number’, bringing his charity to the attention of millions of people. His teaching is the basis of a PhD study at the Royal College of Music.

Find out about this remarkable musical journey.

In 2019, the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust awarded David a prestigious Churchill Fellowship, enabling him to research music education and performance for people with learning disabilities in New York.

‘I was struck by the remarkable musicianship shown by a group of blind singers whose vocal improvisation rivalled the best New York jazz clubs. I witnessed blossoming relationships between university music undergraduates and local learning-disabled adults. I observed industry professionals inspiring learning-disabled musicians with their skill and generosity of time, and learning-disabled musicians inspiring industry professionals with their freedom of expression and friendship.’

Given the unique opportunity to share knowledge with his contemporaries in New York, David has returned to the UK full of plans for the future.

‘Work has already begun to establish The Music Man Project in New York, to collaborate on future projects and return with a large group of my learning-disabled musicians from the UK to perform a joint UK/US concert tour called “Music is Magic on Broadway”. Ultimately, we would like to do a presentation at the UN. I also want to publish “The Complete Guide to Accessible Music Education and Performance for People with Learning Disabilities”, as a way of sharing my approach and inspiring more people to work in this field.’

David was awarded the Medal of the Order of the British Empire in the 2021 Queen’s New Year Honours List for services to people with special needs.

Links:

The Music Man Project | Linktree

Website: www.themusicmanproject.com

David Stanley’s Blog: www.themusicmanblog.com

World Sight Foundation (WSF)

World Sight Foundation (WSF) – ‘If we treat, we help now – but if we teach, we help forever.’

Anthony Chignell (Medicine, 1962) MBE FRCS FRCOphth

After many years of ophthalmic work, alumnus Anthony Chignell (Medicine, 1962) MBE FRCS FRCOphth established the World Sight Foundation (WSF) in 2012, with the main objective of improving the ophthalmic education of those involved in primary care in the developing world. His aim was to reduce the incidence of blindness in the world, which amounts to a staggering 36 million people. Here, we speak to Anthony about WSF and the impact it is making.

‘We are now working in India, Africa and China, and have plans for initiatives in the Philippines and Brazil. In many of these countries, primary eye care is delivered by personnel other than doctors (for example ophthalmic nurses, ophthalmic clinical officers and optometrists). Many of these workers receive very little in the way of postgraduate education and our ambition is to improve standards for the benefit of those that they serve – usually the poorest and most in need. We wish those we teach to become the architects of their own educational development.

‘We have developed our courses (conducted by UK personnel and local ophthalmic staff) so that they are based on interactive lecturing and skills-based clinical sessions. This is to ensure that attendees enhance their knowledge and increase their skills, particularly in the examination of patients. We have recently published a manual for primary care eye workers to support this teaching initiative. The courses are general in nature, but we do highlight certain conditions – for example, the rising prevalence of diabetes with its potentially blinding consequences.

‘Our ambition is to ensure that attendees are able to treat simple conditions with confidence and accuracy and also have the ability, through proper ophthalmic examination, to identify serious and potentially blinding eye disease that needs to be referred to a specialist centre. Our ethos is summed up by our motto, which is: “If we treat, we help now – but if we teach, we help forever”.’

You can find out more about WSF here.