Global Humanities graduates celebrated in annual alumni awards

A group of outstanding Humanities graduates are being recognised at this year’s Cardiff University 30 (ish) Awards.

The 30(ish) Awards, now in their sixth year, celebrate the change-makers, innovators, and rule-breakers within the Cardiff University alumni community.

This year, eight graduates who studied disciplines now part of the School of Global Humanities, have been recognised. They hail from Languages, English Literature, Linguistics, History, Music and Welsh and will all be celebrated on Thursday 19 November 2026 at an awards ceremony taking place in sbarc|spark.

The awards are organised into distinct categories to recognise a range of achievements. Global Humanities graduates have been recognised in the following categories:

Environmental Activist

Ben Campbell, French and German (BA 2014)  

Ben is co-founder and director of Eleos Compliance, a global regulatory compliance consultancy helping to redefine industry standards by placing sustainability at the heart of its business. Drawing on the language and cultural skills developed through his languages degree, he began supporting clients across French-speaking African markets, helping build Eleos into an international organisation operating in five countries

Wales to the World

Hanan Issa, English Literature (BA 2008)

Hanan is a Welsh-Iraqi writer, filmmaker and artist whose work spans poetry, prose, theatre, film and animation. She is the current National Poet of Wales and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Bangor University in 2025. Her acclaimed publications include Welsh Plural, And I Hear Dragons and Chronic Women, while her debut poetry pamphlet won Burning Eye Books’ 2019 competition.

Sarah Lianne Lewis, Music (BA 2009)

Sarah is one of Wales’ leading contemporary composers, creating distinctive music that bridges tradition and innovation. Working across concert hall and stage, she combines acoustic and electronic sound worlds, often exploring themes of connection, climate change and the natural environment. Since graduating from Cardiff University, she has built an international reputation through roles with the Heidelberg Music Festival, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Philharmonia Orchestra’s Composers’ Academy.

Ellis Lloyd Jones, Welsh (BA 2021) 

Ellis is a drag queen who performs as Catrin Feelings. He competed on the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and came in 3rd/4th place. Before his appearance on the show Ellis was a TikTok content creator where he celebrated his Welsh identity and ability to speak Welsh. Ellis has appeared on many TV programmes in and out of drag on S4C, BBC and ITV.

Social Impact

Hengki Agus Rifai, Forensic Linguistics (MA 2021)

Hengki is an Indonesian education advocate, content creator and mentor dedicated to widening access to higher education. Passionate about the transformative power of education and language learning, he creates free resources to support English and IELTS study, helping young people compete in a global job market

Health and Wellbeing

Victoria Causley, History (BA 2021)

Victoria is the founder of EmpowerPeriods, a menstrual health initiative dedicated to challenging stigma through education, advocacy and open conversation. Inspired by her experience of endometriosis and research undertaken at Cardiff University into historical attitudes towards menstruation, she transformed academic insight into action.

Journalism and Media

William Richards, History (BA 2018)

William, known online as chipfat, is one of the most influential video editors in digital content. After originally pursuing a career in television and film, he adapted during the pandemic by focusing on video editing, a skill he had developed independently. His breakthrough came through a competition run by FaZe Clan, leading to a professional editing role and later an exclusive position with the Sidemen, one of YouTube’s biggest creator groups.

Elan Iâl Jones, Welsh (BA 2016) Welsh

Elan is co-founder of Libera, a media and marketing agency based in Cardiff and Carmarthen. Since launching in 2023, the business has grown into a six-person team and one of the few agencies in Wales with a fully Welsh-speaking staff, delivering Welsh and bilingual creative work for clients including BBC Wales, BBC Studios, S4C and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society.

Congratulations to all the graduates being recognised at this year’s 30(ish) awards! Enjoy every minute!