International Women's Day: Inspiring University of Sunderland graduates

Katy Daley-Mclean MBE is the UK’s first professional women’s rugby player. Katy was Captain of England Women’s Rugby’s World Cup winning squad, and gained a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics as part of Team GB. Katy graduated with a BSc in Sports Studies in 2007 and was made an Honorary Fellow of the University in 2015.

Aly Dixon is an Olympian, an elite international competitor, a winner or medallist in marathon, half-marathon and 10,000 metre events. Aly’s Olympic dream was cultivated in Sunderland where she was born and bred. She graduated with a BSc in Sport and Exercise Development in 2000.

The first female graduate from the Automotive Engineering degree was Julie Liddle, graduating with First Class Honours in 2010, and immediately landed a post as Supplier Quality engineer for GM. She now works for Jaguar and Land Rover and says the stereotype of engineering being the preserve of men in greasy overalls is an old fashioned one.

Charlotte Knill graduated in 2016 with a First in BSc (Hons) Computer Forensics, and is following her passion in tackling cybercrime in her role as a Digital Forensics Investigator with Northumbria Police. During her final year Charlotte created Female Tech Blog, aimed at encouraging women into cybersecurity careers. The work she has done in promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers for females has benefited the University of Sunderland and the science community in the North East. She received the Alumni Achiever of the Year Award 2017.

Hope Constance Monica Winch (1894 – 1944) established our School of Pharmacy in 1921. It was a daunting job, but Hope set about organising meetings and arranging classrooms at Sunderland Technical College, which later became the University of Sunderland. Her first students were two women and 25 ex-servicemen. They all squeezed onto a double-sided bench in the Chemistry school. Hope taught the entire course herself and treated all her students as equals, narrowing her eyes at rude jokes and making space for everyone to speak. Hope’s legacy helped the university grow into the excellent pharmacy department that exists today.

Gita Ramjee (1956-2020) was a Ugandan-South African scientist and researcher in HIV prevention. In 2018, she was awarded the ‘Outstanding Female Scientist’ award from the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership. For many years she had been Director of the HIV Prevention Trials Unit of the South African Medical Research Council, educating hundreds of disadvantaged community members on HIV prevention, treatment and care. But it was in Sunderland where Gita’s passion for science and research were first forged, graduating in 1980 with degree in Combined Studies (Chemistry and Physiology).

Holly Sterling is a highly acclaimed children’s author and illustrator. She graduated from the University of Sunderland in 2009 with a First in BA (Hons) Illustration and Design. Holly comes from a sporting background, once named British Universities Karate Champion, as well as the UK National Women’s Karate Champion. In her books Holly illustrates the characters as ethnically diverse and she is keen for more children’s books to do the same. She was named Alumni Achiever of the Year in 2017.

Michelle Castles graduated with a BA in Art and Design in 1998 and now works as a professional artist, based in Cumbria. It was during her studies there that she began experimenting with wire mesh to create the sculptures for which she has since become renowned. Michelle’s work has been widely exhibited around the UK and beyond and she regularly undertakes private and public commissions.

Jane Wimpenny, who graduated with a BSc in Sports Science in 2014, is the founder of Joined in Life CIC brand, which uses only organic and recycled materials in a bid to make looking good more sustainable. The company has been extremely active in the community, giving 10% of every sale to the Mary’s Meal charity, which provides healthy meals to children who need it most. In 2017, she received the Duke of York Young Entrepreneur Award.

2013 BA Business Management graduate Nasreen Ali is co-founder and chief financial officer at Cherchani Africa, a social enterprise which uses mobile technology to provide financial education to women and former street children who are running micro enterprises in Kenya. Her aim is to build thriving communities by providing the right financial tools to the financially excluded. She also recently launched Afrikapu, a social-enterprise that sells African handmade products made by marginalized women and young people in Africa. In 2019 she received the Alumni Achiever of the Year Award – Kenya.

Helen McArdle CBE is one of the North East’s best known businesswomen and philanthropist who made her fortune by establishing care homes for the elderly and nurseries to look after young children in the 1980s. When she sold the business in 2017, Helen McArdle Care had 20 care homes and was the highest quality care provider in the UK, with four ‘Outstanding’ Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings. 

In 2019 she donated donated £2.5m to the University of Sunderland to improve the training of nurses in the region. In recognition of this extraordinary gift, the university’s Shackleton House building was re-named Helen McArdle House.