Helping students thrive in education and beyond
Birkbeck alumnus Philippe Mandangi (LLM 2020), who works in policy, research and analysis at the House of Commons, speaks to us about his time at university, his career aspirations and how he loves to support current students.
He mentors and shares his experiences with both final-year and international Birkbeck students through the Mentoring Pathways and Global Buddies programmes.
Birkbeck alumnus Philippe Mandangi
Why did you choose to study at Birkbeck?
At the time, I was working as a full-time department manager for Sainsbury’s. I was always interested in doing a law course, but as a department manager, I needed to be flexible with my schedule. What Birkbeck offered worked for me.
Tell us about your career since graduating.
I joined the House of Commons and I was originally looking to become a researcher, but instead I have been with policy and analysis. Currently I am doing another degree on parliamentary procedures. It will help me to become a specialist clerk advising MPs on procedures.
What made you join the Mentoring Pathways and Global Buddies programmes and support current Birkbeck students?
When I started at Birkbeck, the university didn’t have a formal mentoring programme but I still managed to get a mentoring relationship with Professor Daniel Monk (Professor of Law at Birkbeck).
I want to make sure nobody is left behind. We need to share opportunities and experiences. You never know when you will need someone you know.
Tell us about your achievements and experiences as a mentor to Birkbeck students.
The first student I mentored is now working as a solicitor and we are still in touch. When I first met him, he had just come from Pakistan and was working for Uber whilst also attending classes.
I asked him about how he was progressing and he explained how he didn’t feel like he had time to do his course. We went through a process to try.
He had been a lawyer in Pakistan and he started getting some experience here. Before he even finished at Birkbeck, he was assisting a firm of solicitors. It gave me quite a lot of satisfaction to see him succeed.
I also took a group of six international students to Parliament and gave them a tour. I was able to show them some areas that the general public can’t access
We're helping students thrive in education and beyond, thanks to our alumni's donations and volunteering efforts on our mentoring programmes.
Thanks to support from regular donors, 24 students have been able to access postgraduate study through scholarships and, in turn, improving their social mobility.
We are proud of Birkbeck's unique and diverse student community.
It is thanks to these donations from alumni that we are able to support our diverse community of students to access and complete their studies and to help improve their employability.
Thank you to all our alumni who volunteer their time on our mentoring programmes and make such a difference to the time our students are at Birkbeck.
Built with Shorthand