We kick off our series of blogs about our alumni’s memories of their graduation day, and the events that led to it, with a story from Phyllida Scrivens, who graduated in 2015.

“I worked at as secretary to Heads of Literature, American Studies and Film and Television Studies between 2005 and 2010 before taking early retirement and, in 2011, I applied to the MA in Non-Fiction Creative Writing – with biography. I was excited to be accepted and to cross the line from administrator to student.

“Four years on and, on 22 July 2015, I graduated. Two people accompanied me to the ceremony: my husband Victor and Joe Stirling, the subject of my first published biography, Escaping Hitler.

“I met Joe at the UEA in December 2011 during a Human Library event in the student bar. He told me of his early childhood as a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany…