The Real London - London Metropolitan University

Meet our real London community

Like the wider London community, our students, staff and graduates come from all kinds of backgrounds – some from around the corner, others from around the globe. Each and every one of them belongs here and uniquely contributes to our community and the city around them. They are The Real London. This is The Real London.

We are the real London

Studying at London Met

Join our real London community

"My university is a mirror of the real London. Get out to the streets of London, be it Covent Garden or Brixton, take a look around you. What you see is an entire world in one city. London Metropolitan University is just like London itself, a home and harbour to representatives of different worlds."

Oleksiy – London Met student

Get to know our real London community

Denise Morrison

Graduate

"I believe that with education, you can do great things. It doesn't matter where you're from, as long as you have that, you can change the world."

Hailey Savage

Student

"To me, London Met symbolises change because that's what it did in my life. You can do so much more than you thought you could."

Ella Deadman

Graduate

"Having the ability to explore is key for an artist, creator, designer, or maker to figure out what they love to do. London Met gave me the opportunity to think differently and not fear failure, to try things out and see where they go."

Aaron Patel

Graduate

"I've always felt London Met has a very unique feel and brand to it. It's not your typical big university. It's a community university – there’s a really good atmosphere to it."

Close up of a person wearing a green jacket

Matt Prestage

Graduate

"There was a real focus on community and on making sure that we were more than just students who happened to be on the same course."

Scarlett Yoxall

Graduate

"The lecturers and everyone surrounding me was so caring and generous with their time and with their effort. I really felt more of part of a family rather than an educational institution."

Nayara Sangiorgio

Graduate

"Meeting other people is not about right or wrong, it’s about learning and acceptance. London Met really feels like a place where everyone could belong."

Margarita Damai

Student

"London Met takes chances on people. The University gave me the opportunity to discover myself, develop and start achieving my dreams."

Chrystalle with a go-karting helment and clothing on

Chrystalle Margallo

Graduate

"London Met – it doesn't just provide you with academic lessons. It also teaches you life lessons and about different cultures. I think it's so important to go to a university in London because you get to learn from other people too – we're all from different walks of life."

Diini Muse

Graduate

"What I see here is everyone being really welcoming and there's a sense of community which I've never seen at any other institution."

Sam Idowu

Staff member

"Being here has shaped many of the things I do and I am grateful to the University and a number of good people I have worked with at London Met for that."

Nikos Papanikolaou

Student

"It is the place where I’ve met some great people who I consider friends. People who share difficulties, struggles, disappointments. Situations that brought us together. I met lecturers who believe in me and keep pushing me to achieve the very best of me."

Donna Jones

Staff member

"As an alumna, London Met means the gateway to the path that led me to realise my passion for social work, to go on to become Principal Lecturer, Head of Social Work and to make a difference to students who come to social work education from diverse backgrounds. Students like me."

Kelly Cooper

Staff member

"Once I got into a classroom of students, I fell in love with helping them to believe in themselves and to change their practice with young children. I never thought, 20 years ago, that I'd be teaching at a university!"

Athena in the London Jesuit Centre garden, looking up wistfully

Athena Barrett

Staff member

"The mission of the University has been to widen participation ever since I’ve been here. I believe in that mission, and I’ve seen it work. It’s that idea that you can give some people a chance."

Nils Perez Codesal

Student

"London is a place for me where I could grow in the best way possible. I felt so much more comfortable just being myself."

Stacey Van-Rossum

Graduate

"London Met made me realise that I could give back, make a difference and also support my family."

Alessio Cofone

Graduate

"I was proud of myself because I was able to graduate in a country I now call my second home, with the presence of my family from my native country."

A note about The Real London

The Real London came from an idea developed by a London Met graduate who was inspired by the extraordinary people who make up the University community here. Each story features a member of this community – a student, staff member or graduate – who has been photographed and/or filmed in a London location that means something to them. Their real London stories explore who they are in their own words and come from informal interviews conducted by this same graduate alongside colleagues she now works with at London Met. We hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as we did!