BCU Alumni Podcast On Tour: Dr Marcia Shakespeare MBE and Clair Graham

Inspirational graduates and lifelong friends Dr Marcia Shakespeare and Clair Graham reunited at BCU for a live recording of the BCU Alumni Podcast in celebration of Women’s History Month.
The live podcast recording discussed their life and career journeys, the impact that their work has had on our city and wider region, and their incredible advice to students, staff and fellow graduates.
Be inspired by these two extraordinary women and watch the replay of this live event now.
Dr Marcia Shakespeare MBE
Dr Marcia Shakespeare completed a BA in Sociology and Psychology at BCU in 2009 before returning to study for a PGCE, a Master’s in Teaching and Learning, and now she is even completing a PhD.
She is the founder of the Precious Trust, a charity named after her daughter, who was killed alongside her friend, Charlene Ellis, in 2003. The charity aims to create pathways to positive futures for young girls and has directly supported almost 2,000 vulnerable women so far.
The alumna has spoken to more than 100,000 young people through events and talks organised by The Precious Trust and West Midlands Police.
In recognition of her tireless campaigning work, Marcia was awarded an honorary doctorate from BCU in 2024. Her PhD is exploring the exploitation of young girls and women by street gangs in the UK.
Clair Graham
Clair Graham is BCU’s Alumna of the Year. She left school with no qualifications and a criminal record, but after doing voluntary work and securing a role as a Social Work Assistant, Clair decided to return to education, and she graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Social Work in 2009.
After graduating, Clair worked her way up from a Social Worker to a Team Manager at Birmingham City Council. Nowadays, she is the Head of Service for Contextual Safeguarding working within the EMPOWER U, Exploitation and Missing Hub at Birmingham Children’s Trust (BCT).
In 2023, Clair was awarded BCU's 'Alumna of the Year', and she continues to inspire the next generation of social workers with her extraordinary story.
www.bcu.ac.uk/alumni/communit...