At the heart of our remarkable city stands a university steeped in 200 years of rich history. Since The University of Manchester was founded in 1824, delivering real world impact has remained at the heart of its values, with more than 35% of the university's graduates remaining and working within the north west region, contributing to our public services, driving innovation and helping our communities to thrive. A place where a mission to deliver academic excellence meets real-world purpose, the university strives to make the city of Manchester greater for everyone living, studying and working here. Each year, around 2,000 graduates from The University of Manchester take up public services roles, whilst around 10,000 graduate from healthcare programs, including medicine. The university trains more than 300 teachers every year - many of whom stay and teach in Greater Manchester, and around 150 graduates pursue work within environmental or climate emergency-related roles. Holly Egan, Edoardo Altamura, Victoria Healy, Lola Albarn and Guy Tennant are just five remarkable graduates striving to make a difference to our communities and beyond - through hopeful medical breakthroughs, a commitment to inclusive education and developing world-changing technologies. "It was always my dream to study at The University of Manchester, and in doing so, I hope to make a real difference to the future of women's healthcare, for the Greater Manchester community and beyond" An aspiring gynae-oncologist with big dreams of making a difference to her community, Holly Egan had always dreamt of studying at the university closest to her heart, and home. After studying MBChB Medicine at The University of Manchester, she graduated with her degree in 2024 and has since gone on to secure a specialist foundation doctor post at Wythenshawe Hospital. On the frontline, Holly contributes to patient care in one of the most diverse and dynamic regions in the UK, underpinned by her steadfast commitment to contributing to the medical innovations she hopes will improve outcomes for future patients in Greater Manchester and beyond. "I always wanted to study medicine, from being knee-high to a grasshopper," she said. "I applied to study medicine when I was in college but unfortunately, I didn't get the grades. I still knew I wanted to study medicine, so I went and did another degree in bio medicine first. That opened doors into research, something I'd never considered doing alongside clinical medicine, but medicine was the one, and it was always going to be at The University of Manchester. "It meant so much to study here, not only because of how world-renowned it is as a university, but because I am from the area, and being able to live, work and study here meant a lot. Family means everything to me too, so being able to be close to the people I love whilst studying at a place as great as this truly meant everything. "Working on the frontline as a doctor means so much to me. We have a massively diverse population here in Manchester, and I see those people at their absolute worst times, and through some of their best times too, and being able to be involved in that, whether I'm making a small contribution or a huge one, means everything. "Academically, I'm involved in a research project where we look at early biomarkers for ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, at the moment, it's quite poorly detected. Women tend to present quite late, because their symptoms are often non-specific, such as bloating and pain that can be attributed to other things, and by the time it's diagnosed they can be quite late stage. "We're looking at developing tests to reverse that, looking at how we can identify women with the disease early on, and women who are more at risk of developing it early on, to hopefully prevent the deaths caused by late detection. I am hopeful that our research will save lives. "I am proud to be involved in research that is going to make huge contributions to how we treat women with cancer. Whether I can help one patient or thousands, whether it's in five years or 10 years, or even just in my lifetime, I dream of being able to help women across the world, but first and foremost I am passionate about making a difference to the people in my community. "From the small acts of helping people within the hospital find where they need to be, to sitting with them through chemotherapy and even taking the time to talk to an elderly patient with no family, my job means the world to me." "I believe my contributions to the world of quantum computing could help enrich the community of Manchester and inspire others, fostering innovation in the area" Edoardo Altamura's passion for science developed during his formative high school years in Italy. Edoardo began researching astrophysics programs around Europe and was drawn to Manchester. A city with a global reputation as a hub for science and technology, Edoardo secured an interview with the university and, after being impressed by both Manchester's warm and welcoming community spirit and the university's inspiring facilities, he quickly decided it was the perfect place for his studies. "Manchester is a community full of talented students and mentors; it's a place full of energy, and a place where I knew I could truly absorb the work I was interested in," he said. Edoardo read physics at The University of Manchester, then stayed on to study for a PhD in computational astrophysics. He has since secured employment as a quantum software engineer and research scientist at the Hartree Centre (STFC) in Cheshire. "One of the best examples of how my work impacts day to day life, and how I believe it will benefit the communities of Greater Manchester and beyond, is my development of algorithms to study molecules which can hopefully be used as new drugs, engineering new materials for electric vehicle batteries, developing renewable energies and the optimisation of logistics and traffic routes," he explained. "There are many ways that quantum computers can and surely will benefit the world, but their entire capabilities have not been fully realised yet. "I am proud to have worked on projects that have put Manchester in the spotlight of quantum technologies and developments, and it's so important to continue on this mission to inspire collaboration and allow innovation to happen. Manchester is a very special place to be doing this work. "There's a great push within my field to improve the workflows that quantum computers can use to design new drugs. Healthcare is an area where there's a great focus and investment, along with the engineering of new materials through simulation on quantum computers, which can be used in a variety of industries, for example, in designing new batteries for electric vehicles, applications in outer space, or outer space exploration itself. "There's also a lot of hope that quantum computation may require less energy, and there are currently industry leaders working on the optimisation of the system in the hopes the entire infrastructure can use less energy, meaning we'd make more at a lower cost. There's a lot of work to be done, but we're excited about the possibilities and the benefits they could have on communities around the world. "As part of my career, something I would really like to see happening - and something I believe can benefit the community - is the ability to form research groups and mentor people, attracting talent and investment into the area. The impact would be to recognise quantum technologies as a way to accelerate discovery in a range of applications. "My dream is to have Manchester established as a hub for emerging quantum technologies and their applications. This would encourage more startup companies to develop, creating new jobs and exciting and dynamic career paths for Mancunians, give communities a better quality of life and enjoy investments from across the UK and around the world." "As a result of studying my degree at The University of Manchester, I'm doing a job every day that I love and I'm proud of, because I'm making such a difference to the next generation of Mancunians" As a youngster, Victoria Healy enrolled into the Greater Manchester Army Cadet Force where she discovered a real love for standing up and teaching. As an adult, working as a teaching assistant at a secondary school in Middleton, Victoria quickly realised just how profound the impact of working with young people could be. At the age of 30, as a single mum with four very young children, Victoria decided to pursue a degree in psychology, a PGCE in secondary psychology, and a Masters in educational psychology. Impressively, she achieved first-class results. She has since secured a permanent position as assistant head of department at Loreto Sixth Form College in Hulme, and is incredibly proud of the difference her journey has empowered her to make to the lives of the young people in her classroom. "As a teacher, you do such an important job because year on year, you have the power to influence the next generation and improve their life chances," she said. "At Loreto, we have some of the most disadvantaged students in the country, yet we achieve fantastic results. This is because we're highly inclusive. "We have students going to Oxford and Cambridge, whilst others are resitting their GCSEs because they need maths and English to go into the world of work. We also have students who have complex additional needs, and we are committed to helping them to thrive as well, because we're inclusive on every measure. "Personally, I feel I make a real difference to the lives of young people within our communities thanks to the Masters degree I completed. I studied autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions, and I find myself advocating for these students, helping to raise awareness and ensuring there's support and understanding in place to enable them to thrive. "I am proud to make a difference to young lives through raising self-belief and self-esteem. There are a lot of areas of deprivation in Manchester, and as a result we welcome a lot of students from deprived backgrounds, with poor confidence and low self-esteem. It's our mission to improve this, raise them up and improve their life chances. "I also grew up in a deprived area, so I can relate to the struggles of a lot of our young people, which makes me even more determined to help them overcome them. "I recently received a card from a student who is getting ready to leave the college, and it said 'Miss Healy, you've raised my self-belief' and it is these little things that remind us that what we do in the classroom goes above and beyond teaching and marking; we really are making a profound difference. "I am so proud that year after year, I can make a difference to more kids' lives and influence the next generation of Mancunians. I was born and raised here. It's a beautiful place with a great community feel and wherever you are, wherever you're coming from, there's always a way in and you'll be welcome. "I chose to study at The University of Manchester because it's renowned for its excellence, and you are surrounded by leaders in their field. I am proud that my journey has inspired my own children too - my eldest son is about to graduate from university with a degree of his own and start his teacher training, and I am incredibly proud. "To those considering going to university to study as an older adult, I would say go for it! It really will change your life." "It's an incredible privilege and a magical experience to be able to work with the young people of Greater Manchester during their formative years, helping to shape them into the people they're going to be for the rest of their lives" Lola Albarn was inspired to pursue a career in education after a stint of teaching in South Korea. Moved by her rewarding and exciting experiences, Lola studied English literature and creative writing at The University of Manchester, followed by a PGCE in primary education. Now, as a full-time tutor at The Tutor Trust, she is providing educational support to young people across Greater Manchester. From primary and secondary aged students to post-16 students, she hopes to inspire the next generation of Mancunians to consider the 'magical' career. "In Manchester, on average, school pupils are two years behind what is expected of them, thanks to Covid," she said. "We provide opportunities to struggling school pupils who need it most. "I am so proud to be able to support students who have felt left behind, stuck and a bit forgotten. It is an honour to be in a position to help them feel confident and comfortable in their educational journey. "It has been incredibly rewarding to work with these young people and watch them develop and blossom into people who feel confident to express their opinions, tackle their work and develop a better idea of what their future may hold. "From helping little people to learn to read and helping older students resit exams they may have failed four times and witness them passing at last, it's just so wonderful. "As a tutor, I provide a safe space for a portion of their day. It's a privilege to show young people new things and guide them in different areas, not just within the lesson but with their friendships, and dealing with emotions. It's a privilege to be a part of just one child's life, let alone the hundreds and maybe thousands I see in my line of work. "In the future, I hope to continue to work with the young people of our region, supporting their educational journeys, but would also love to take a step into helping university students to explore their own options within a teaching career, and find a love for education themselves. "There's nothing quite like teaching, it's magical and I am incredibly lucky to do my job in a city I love." "I'm proud to do a job that empowers me to help keep the people and communities in Greater Manchester safe, creating resilient communities where people want to live" Having grown up in Norwich, Guy Tennant was drawn to the bold, diverse and historically rich communities of Manchester. After studying politics, philosophy and economics at The University of Manchester, graduating with a first, Guy went on to secure an impressive, full-time position as policy lead for safer and stronger communities at Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). "People may say they have no interest in or knowledge of politics, but it's everything - it's everywhere and for everyone, and starts with an act as simple as registering to vote," he said. "It's something I'm incredibly proud to be a part of, and being on the frontline and seeing people exercising their core democratic rights is very satisfying. My role makes a difference to people and communities across Greater Manchester because we undertake a vast range of work to keep people safe. We support victims of crime, reduce harm and offending and strive to strengthen communities and tackle inequalities. "To achieve this, we work across a number of themes such as gender-based violence, substance misuse, violence reduction, criminal justice and policing. I am privileged to work alongside talented and passionate experts who are responsible for each thematic area. "My role is partly about making new and deeper connections to support that work. This may be in the form of engaging with Government on changes we would like to see, supporting our deputy mayor with gathering the materials she needs to present a case for more funding or powers to benefit our communities, or by working with more distinct policy areas to build collaborative approaches to tackling shared issues, such as the way in which tackling fraud could support local economic growth and wider digital inclusion. "One of the really exciting parts of my role within the public safety landscape is what future challenges are going to be, and how best we can start to prepare for them, especially with online content and how we can support young people to be safer online. "We're seeing great examples of AI programs that can search through the internet and scrub photos that have been shared without consent. Things like that can be very detrimental to people's lives and future prospects, so getting ahead of those issues and having the levers to pull to do something about it, is one of the most rewarding aspects of what I do. "I'm proud to be a part of a team dedicated to public safety, and building resilient communities where people want to live. The GMCA is a massive force for good, and it's a privilege to be a part of it." Learn more about how University of Manchester students and graduates are making a difference to the lives of people in Greater Manchester. 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