Meeting in Greece and Graduating together 7 years later: Lenny and Bev's Alumni Story
By: Alumni Team
Ahead of the 2025 ceremonies, we are pleased to showcase an alumni graduation story. Lenny Neale-Krommenhoek and Beverley (Bev) Appleby both graduated with a BSc in Nursing in 2015. However, they had actually met in Greece back in 2008. This is their story.
Lenny (Lecturer in Nursing Sciences) and Bev (Wellbeing Advisor – Mental Health) both now work at UEA. They answered a few questions on their UEA journey.
How did you both come to meet in Greece in 2008?
Lenny: I was living on Crete at the time and Bev visited with her parents, who were our friends. This was the first time we met, and our friendship started straight away.
Bev: We got on so well right from the start - I remember Lenny saying I reminded her of a young version of herself at the time. I was very uncertain at that point what I wanted to do with my life, having had many jobs in differing sectors.
What inspired you both to study Nursing at UEA?
Lenny: I was already a nurse, having studied nursing in the Netherlands in the mid-1980s. However, I studied for a BSc nursing after moving to the UK and getting an opportunity to work at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
Bev: I started my studies in 2011. I had been working as a support worker and team leader in a residential setting providing support to people with mental health difficulties and learning disabilities. It was this job that inspired me to seek a career in nursing. Having completed an Open University Health and Social care course I was accepted as a mature student into the 2011 cohort. We both went on to graduate in 2015.
How did you re-connect during your studies?
Bev: We did not really study together because we were in different areas of nursing, but we discovered in 2015 that we were due to graduate together. It felt special that it was by chance that we graduated at the same time, and I was very pleased to share this graduation experience with Lenny.
And how often do you keep in touch now?
Lenny: We work very rarely together, but our paths do cross when students need support. Privately though, we are still in contact. I attended Bev’s wedding and was present during the birth of Bev’s son.
Bev: It’s wonderful that again our life paths cross, the highlights being: initially meeting in Greece, then sharing our graduation, amazing support from Lenny during the birth of my son and now both of us working at UEA and enjoying our jobs. Throughout, we have kept in touch and meet regularly to catch up – mostly we discuss our personal lives but occasionally the subject of nursing comes up in conversation. We remain professional and never share confidential details. As Lenny says the friendship doesn’t really influence our professional paths - our nursing experiences are very different to date!