James McAvan (BA, 2001)
"Following graduation (2001) I attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and commissioned into The Royal Welch Fusiliers. I deployed to Iraq in 2004 in command of 30 soldiers. The tour of duty was subsequently made famous by historian Richard Holmes, in his book, Dusty Warriors.
My next deployment (2005) was on counter-terrorist operations in Ulster in support of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
After this, my next position was as the Aide-de-Camp (executive aide/assistant) to a 2 Star British General at The United States Central Command, Florida.
My final role in the Army was as a Company Commander in charge of over 110 soldiers deployed on combat operations in Afghanistan.
In 2008 I left the army and, following travels in Australasia and the Americas, I am returning to university to become a lawyer. I start the Graduate Diploma in Law at the University of Birmingham in September 2009.
By gaining a good degree from a well-respected university, I was able to show future employers that I had the mental aptitude and determination to take on daunting tasks. I remain very proud of my history degree from Sheffield. It is the foundation stone for everything that I have achieved subsequently."