Voices of the Global Alumni Community

Kelly-Anne hosted a gathering in the Bahamas – home to just a handful of UEA alumni! We asked Kelly-Anne what motivated her to host and to let us know more about her connection to UEA.

What inspired you to host this event and bring together fellow UEA alumni in your region?

Living abroad can be lonely at times, so I recognise the importance of meeting new people and making friends. Therefore, I love the opportunity that hosting a UEA Global Gathering brings to introduce and meet fellow UEA alumni that live in the same area/region (this year it was Nassau, the Bahamas). That’s what inspires me to host - the chance to get people together! Even though last year’s gathering consisted of just two of us, we have since met a third UEA alumnus in Nassau!

What does being a part of UEA’s alumni community mean to you?

I think back on my time at UEA with fond memories and cherish the friendships I made there (several of which still exist with strong bonds even today, over 25 years since graduating). And since I no longer live in the UK, the online magazine, website and social media help me stay connected with my UEA community.

UEA’s founding motto is “Do Different” and we still Dare to Do Different now. How have you identified with this expression in your life?

My version of “do different” is my lifestyle, by being open to new experiences around the world.

Having lived in five different countries across three continents to date, there is a lot that is different from one place to another - people, language, culture, environment, food, employment. Embracing them all, I feel like I can certainly identify with the expression of UEA’s founding motto!

Yixian has been very active in attending events in China, including giving his time to offer holders who are due to come to study at UEA. Yixian attended an event in Guangzhou and reflected on ‘Dare to Do Different’.

What does being part of UEA’s community mean to you?

The UEA campus is not merely a physical space but a spiritual community. This trust and support between mentors and students made me truly understand the essence of community.

During my studies, I engaged directly with UEA Career Central and deeply discussed the appropriate career destination for me in China. I also benefited from cross-border collaboration opportunities recommended by the alumni network. At that moment, I realized that the UEA community isn’t just limited to the campus or current students. It’s a real international family.

Now, as an alumnus, I continue to share my personal career experience through the alumni and offer- holders reception event.

UEA’s motto is ‘Do Different.’ How have you experienced this in your life?

As a financial practitioner and a professional investor, my main job is to detect potential investment opportunities. However, it’s not an easy job for the reason that people would be inundated with the enormous amount of information or even noise in the real market. Especially, the herd effect could be very powerful in the securities market where billions of individual investors take part.

“The education at UEA always highlights the importance of critical thinking. The UEA’s motto, ‘Do Different,’ concentrates the essence of critical thinking.”

- Yixian Yan (ECO15)

Our motto, ‘Do Different’, always reminds me to keep rational with critical thinking. The credit for most of my successful trading behaviour should go to the way I ‘do different’. From my perspective, UEA’s motto matches the idea of the famous quote by Warren Buffett, ‘Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful.’

This should be remembered by all of us.

Maria and Andreas attended an event in Cyprus last year where the UEA community is well established and very active.

Andreas says, “Being part of UEA’s community gives us all a sense of belonging; we all feel that we’re part of an extended family, where each member has something to offer… Such a feeling, being able to give and take to/from each other, gives rise to a purpose, especially bearing in mind that this is the family that helped us become who we are today.”

Maria adds that, “Do Different is a made-to- measure UEA motto. Historic buildings such as Earlham Hall, the LCR, the Sainsbury Centre, the Medical School, the Elizabeth Fry Building, the Sportspark, along with its unique teaching techniques and competent professors, not to mention the social activities and various research carried out by the various schools, have all contributed in ranking UEA among the most prestigious and reputable unis in the UK. UEA has proved that indulging in new fields of studies along the years, thus daring to do different every time, has undoubtedly led to successful academic and reputation paths.”