With the LSE Community Engagement Programme in full swing, we caught up with 5 of the LSE Alumni Mentors supporting the student consultancy teams! If you’re an LSE alum inspired by this blog and wherever you are in the world, join in with LSE’s very first Global Day of Volunteering on Thursday 9 March! 

Rani Chatrath (MSc Organisational and Social Psychology, 2022) 

I’m a recent MSc graduate in Organisational and Social Psychology from the LSE (December 2022) searching for my next opportunity in organisational change and employee experience in the United Kingdom.  Prior to LSE, I worked for 8 years in the organisational change space, primarily in consulting, international development, and renewable energy in Washington, DC. 

I joined the LSE Community Engagement Programme to help support students as they explore consulting as a possible career and provide a network of people to connect them with.  I am enjoying the programme and have found that the breadth of the student backgrounds (both culturally as well as areas of study and former work experience) create unique, fruitful discussions and opportunities to develop a well-shaped, integrated strategy. 

Marc R. Claude (MSc Political Science and Political Economy, 2016) 

I have volunteered as a mentor on the LSE Community Engagement Programme (CEP) since its beginning in 2020.  As an experienced mentor, I have coached a number of teams of LSE students to write consultancy reports for British charities that focused on topics including education access, healthcare, and youth empowerment.  Specifically, I help my mentees navigate the process of producing a consultancy report.  We hold weekly meetings to check how they are moving with the project.  My role is mainly that of a sounding board that directs them to resources and helps them build their confidence as consultants.

I joined this programme because volunteering was one of my main extracurricular activities at the LSE.  In addition, mentoring is my favourite way to give back to the LSE community.  I am excited to coach current students like I wanted to be when I was in their shoes.  Last but not least, it’s always a pleasure to collaborate with the LSE Volunteer Centre – David and Rosie are gems, just like the CEP staff and my fellow mentors! 

Serena James (MSc Philosophy and Public Policy, 2021) 

I am an Executive Officer at LSE and have worked in Higher Education for over five years.  I graduated from LSE with a MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy in 2021.  I decided to join the programme as I wanted to get involved with supporting current LSE students on a project that gives back to the community.  I enjoyed volunteering during my undergraduate studies at the University of York.  I took part in their ‘York Students in Schools’ programme and volunteered as a classroom assistant in a local high school one morning a week.  Knowing how valuable volunteering through a university programme can be, I wanted to support students doing the same. 

I’m really inspired by the group of students that I am providing mentor support to – they have given up time from their demanding schedules to create meaningful difference to a charity that does such important work.  My group is working with Refuge – a charity that supports women and girls that have experienced domestic abuse.  It is a cause close to my heart, being a survivor of abuse myself, and it is a privilege to be able to support these brilliant LSE students on this project with Refuge. 

Gen Kawasaki (MSc Development Management, 2018) 

My name is Gen and I graduated from the LSE with an MSc in Development Management.  I currently work with vulnerable children in the education sector. 

I decided to join the LSE Community Engagement Programme (CEP) 2023 having been invited as a guest speaker to CEP 2021 and 2022.  During my time at LSE, I was lucky enough to do a consultancy project with the Inter-American Development Bank, where I did some fieldwork in Haiti and produced a report on the opportunities to grow the tourism and creative sector – which served as a catalyst for my interest in community-focused consulting projects. 

Working with the CEP 2023 cohort has been an amazing way for me to share my experience gained from my professional work with the volunteer student consultants and also stay in touch with the LSE community and alumni.  So far, it has been great working with the LSE volunteer consultants who are keen to utilise their academic skills into real world practice and make an impact on the communities and people they serve through the CEP.  I’m really looking forward to attending the final presentation in person! 

Abi Williams (BSc Politics and History, 2022) 

Hi, I’m Abi.  I studied at LSE from 2019 – 2022 where I completed a BSc in Politics and History.  I am now a postgraduate student at the University of Cambridge where I am doing an MPhil in Education (Globalisation and International Development), focusing on countries within the Global South.  Outside of this – I am the communications officer for the Ghanaian Society, and a college Welfare Officer. 

During my time at LSE, I got the opportunity to get involved in volunteering.  My interest in mental health led me to becoming a Peer Supporter throughout my second and third year and this allowed me to promote the importance of taking care of your health and wellbeing to students across the LSE community.  I also had the pleasure of getting to work in the Volunteer Centre, joining the team in my final year as an Administrative Assistant.  This gave me a brand new perspective on volunteering, learning about the various kinds of charities that LSE works with and also getting to see just how passionate the student community is about helping others. 

The skills I gained from these two experiences made joining the CEP as an alumni mentor a really exciting prospect. Not only has it allowed me to stay connected with the LSE community, but I’ve also been able to help guide a team of students working on a project that aligns really well with my current research interests.  One of my favourite aspects of this experience has been getting to be a sounding board for all the ideas that the team has; watching their ideas become concrete plans has been really fascinating and it’s been very rewarding to be a part of it.  It has also been a great learning experience for me as the charity that the team is working with has also been very involved in the process, giving both the team and myself the opportunity to learn more about their organisation, and the sector as a whole.