‘They were good days’

Debbie Reed

(UCL Geography BSc 2005 & Geography PGCE 2006)

I'm extremely proud of my graduation picture. I would often walk past Jeremy (yes, first name terms) and wonder why on earth would someone want to taxidermy themselves.  

I'm very glad he did. 

I said to myself in the first year, I'd wait until I graduated to get a photo with him. It gave me motivation to succeed. Luckily, I remembered. I did almost forget! This picture has inspired, motivated and helped when life throws challenges at me.

I was a mature student with a young child when I arrived as an undergraduate. I learnt so much at UCL, geography being the tip of an iceberg. I was diagnosed with dyslexia in my first year, and with the help and support from student services and the lecturers I haven't looked back. 

I am still bewildered that I, with a DEE at A levels, dyslexic (and recently diagnosed with ADHD) graduated from one of the best universities in the world. UCL and Jeremy Bentham changed the trajectory of my life. And I have subsequently decided to leave a legacy gift in my will to UCL because I too, want to create the "greatest happiness of the greatest number".

Sarah Wolfensohn

UCL Physiology BSc 1976

Such good memories – the one I like best is being on college council and having Jeremy Bentham at the head of the table “present but not voting”.

His 1789 comment “The question is not can they reason, nor can they talk, but can they suffer?” had a real impact on me – I went on to qualify as a vet from Cambridge University, then was Head of Veterinary Services at Oxford University for 20 years and then set up my own animal welfare consultancy called ‘Seventeen Eighty Nine’.  And I called my dog Bentham!

He was an inspiring person – may he continue for the next 200 years!

Paul Morton

BSc Microbiology, 1982

My fondest memory is of “fungal forays” in Epping Forest, led by the inimitable Dr Richard Strange (Botany). 

An opportunity to sample all kinds of strange fungi under the safe guidance of a world expert.  My least favourite tasted of aged curry but some were quite lovely.

Flor Toledo-Sandoval

(UCL Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages MA 2017)

"Ever since I was young, I dreamt of studying at one of the best universities in the world. So, being accepted into the UCL Institute of Education was a monumental moment for me.

In my family, no one had ever pursued a Master's degree or studied abroad, so this achievement was something only a few could truly understand. I still remember how surreal it felt to walk through the Bloomsbury neighborhood, surrounded by a symphony of accents and languages. I knew then that my life was about to change forever.

One moment that stands out from my time at UCL was a class where a professor said to me, “Flor, you are allowed to disagree.” Coming from a traditional family and education system, I hadn’t realized how deeply ingrained my need to please others was. That simple phrase struck a chord. It stayed with me. It reminded me that I have a voice—and that it deserves to be heard.”

June Winter

(UCL English BA 1933)

I joined UCL when I was just 17 years old. My parents had moved from Surrey to Buckinghamshire after going through the trauma of sleeping in a shelter in our garden during the bombing raids of the Germans.

The different Faculties were spread all over the country in those years. The one for English was in Aberystwyth. We were sent to a very large old house about 2 miles into the countryside and we were transported to and fro in an ancient bus. If we missed it, we had to walk. This made it almost impossible to join any evening activities or clubs, and any boyfriends had to be brave enough to face not only a long walk to take us home, but an equally long walk back to where they were billeted too.

Eventually it was deemed safe enough for us to return to London, which for me meant commuting each day from Surrey where my parents had just bought another house. My housemate from Aberystwyth and I volunteered to clean and clear one of the lecture rooms which had suffered bomb damage at UCL. It was a terrible job because of the choking dust, but we managed it.

One day I was asked to collect money to be given to some of the poorer students to pay for fees etc. I had a collecting tin which I shook hopefully as I approached some students on the front steps. Some of them put contributions in, but one of them said he was one of the would-be recipients. His friend, whom I knew from travelling back from Aberystwyth, introduced us. And thus I met my future husband! 

Razvaan Akhtar

(UCL Mathematics and Physics MSci 2005)

I had the privilege of helping create and set up the Student Ambassador Scheme at UCL back in 2001/2002.

As one of the first ambassadors, I took on a variety of important roles, including leading campus tours, representing UCL at external events, and taking responsibility for training future ambassadors. These experiences were incredibly rewarding and played a significant role in shaping my university journey. 

Being able to engage with prospective students, especially those from secondary schools, gave me a strong sense of purpose. I often reflect on how many young people we might have inspired to consider higher education, and particularly UCL, as a result of our efforts. This would inspire me to eventually become a teacher: a profession that has allowed me to work in different countries for the last 17 years!

One particular memory from that time was our response to the aftermath of the July 7 bombings in London. During a summer school running on campus, a group of students were present when the attacks occurred. Our ambassador team, along with other UCL staff, came together to provide vital support and reassurance to those students throughout the day. It was a moment that demonstrated the strength of the UCL.

Mabel Brooks

(UCL French BA 1976)

I spent many hours in the library under the dome leafing through books for my essays – no internet then. All the students observed the silence that was expected in the library and it was an inspirational place.

I particularly liked walking across the beautiful quadrangle each day that I attended lectures and tutorials and I constantly felt great joy to have chosen and been accepted at such a beautiful university.

Dr Elizabeth Anne Davies

(UCL Medicine MB BS 1989)

I remember the noise of around 120 excited new medical students sitting down on the old varnished wooden seats of the anatomy theatre on Gower Street. We faced enormous blackboards that seemed to take up a whole wall and gave off a sense of having seen so many new arrivals.

John Pegington, our teacher, stood in front of them. His passion for teaching anatomy was so great he designed anatomy colouring books to help us better learn our trade. And he guided us carefully through the stages of dissection as we stood in our first white coats in the basement rooms. 

Later that year, we stood in a long semi-circle in the UCL quad for the first year photo - feeling at once unique and part of a very long line of doctors trained at UCL.

Nigel McFarlane

(UCL Radiation Physics MPhil 2002)

Chicken Speller (named after my supervisor): 

• Take 1 chicken breast
•  Irradiate at 100 kVp
• Bake in a warm room for 60 hours at 30C.

In 2000 or thereabouts, I was using the X-ray machine in the medical physics department for my PhD work, though in fact the topic was food inspection, and nothing medical. Part of this work involved chicken, and one Friday evening I forgot to remove the chicken from the X-ray machine before going home.  To make matters worse, it was the hottest weekend of the year.  On Monday morning the chicken was literally green, and the smell… 

Suffice to say it was not appreciated by my colleagues.