When Alana Wheat started at Keele in 2017, she was already passionate about the environment and wildlife, but confesses she didn’t know much about sustainability.

Fast forward five years and not only has she now graduated with a degree in Geography and a Master’s in Environmental and Geographical Research, but has even stepped into a job at Keele as a Sustainability Project Officer helping to coordinate some of the University’s key environmental initiatives.

Keele’s ethos of embedding sustainability across all aspects of its operations and student experience played a key role in shaping Alana’s ambitions, as did the campus environment which presents a number of unique opportunities for research, teaching, and extracurricular activities centred around sustainability and the environment.

Alana said these were crucial in helping her find her calling in protecting the environment, and through hard work and taking advantage of the opportunities Keele has presented, she’s now set herself on a path to a successful career in sustainability.

She encouraged prospective students with a passion for the environment and social issues to find out more about what Keele can offer and said: “My Keele journey can be summarised as an unexpected adventure. Every Keele student’s journey is as unique as the campus itself, the experiences that you graduate from Keele with come from your own initiative and effort in engaging with what Keele has to offer.

"I have gained valuable experience in facilitating, campaigning, and the practicalities of sustainability, such as my work with the Wildlife Society; the Student Eats gardening allotments; the Drink Rinse Repeat coffee cup campaigns; the Weigh to Go zero-waste shop; the Woodland Trust and Students for Trees Big Climate Fightback, planting 300 trees around the Keele campus.

“I’m really proud of empowering Keele to reach Gold Hedgehog Friendly Campus status as well as being part of the Sustainability Team as a Sustainability Intern whilst we achieved the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence and the Sustainability Institution of the Year Green Gown award.”