LSE ALUMNI
2013 REUNIONS 2013 saw the Alumni Relations team welcome back over 600 alumni to the School for a number of reunions. Through a series of lunches, lectures, receptions, tours and gala dinners, alumni from around the world caught up with old friends and revisited the days they spent on campus. During the events, we caught up with some alumni and asked them to share their memories of LSE.
Maysel Dontoh (LLB 1959)
Cyril Breslauer (BSc Econ 1952)
Maysel, a former executive director of the Bank of Ghana, attended the reunion for the classes of 1959 and earlier on 21 May, and we asked her about life at and post LSE.
Cyril attended the reunion for the graduating classes of 1959 and earlier on 21 May, where we asked him about what he took away from his time at LSE.
What is your fondest memory of LSE?
What did you learn at LSE?
I loved coming to university and engaging with people from diverse walks of life. I made many friends from so many different countries.
I wasted my first year, spending the best part of it playing bridge. Bernard Levin was my bridge partner – he was a good journalist but a terrible bridge player! However, in my day, you could do well at university even if you did no work in the first two years of study. Clearly you cannot do that today. The bottom line is that it is hard work that gets you to where you want to be.
While studying at LSE, were you involved in any extra-curricular activities? I was interested in netball and I became very active in the LSE Netball Club. I was the only black girl in the group, until my cousin joined as a referee. I loved the team coordination. I was also part of the Jazz Club, where I played the drums. These groups offered fantastic opportunities to look beyond my Ghanaian culture.
Has LSE had an impact on your life since graduating from the School? During a difficult interview with a journalist I mentioned I was an alumna of LSE. The journalist stopped her questioning and told me that she was also an alumna of LSE. From that point, her attitude towards me changed and the interview became much more agreeable.
What did you wish you had learned from LSE? Students were much less sophisticated when I attended university, and looking back, perhaps I could have learnt to be more streetwise. However, perspectives were very different back then. You regarded yourself as extremely fortunate to be attending LSE as, at the time, only four to five per cent of the population studied at higher education level.
What have you learned since graduating from LSE? Hard work does pay off! It can be easy to bluff your way through university, but in the world of work, you always get caught bluffing. From my experience, it is best to play it straight down the middle.
Mumtaz Keshani (BSc Economics 1976) Mumtaz attended the reunion for the classes of 1970-79 on 12-13 July, where she told us about her LSE experience. Why did you choose to study at LSE? I wanted to study at LSE for its international reputation, and I was also very attracted to the idea of studying in London. I had family in London so it was a good choice for me.
What challenges did you face as a student? I really didn’t have to overcome many challenges. I felt very comfortable from the beginning, and I adapted very quickly. I came from Pakistan but I studied for my O levels and A levels in an English-
speaking school, and that made it a lot easier. I was really overwhelmed and excited by all the new things I encountered.
How has LSE influenced your life? Tremendously; I met lifelong friends here. LSE taught me to think independently, gave me confidence and showed me that the world was my oyster.
What are your favourite memories from your time at the School? I have so many! The Three Tuns, the Old Theatre, going to any lecture from any course at any given time, and being a student in central London were also great, with so many things going on around you!
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