Welcome to your latest edition of SOAS World. In this issue, we interview SOAS alumna Ramla Ali about her life and combining boxing and modelling along with her philanthropic work. We also feature a timely article on democracy in this unprecedented year of elections, and an article visiting the past and looking to the future of our beloved SOAS Library.

There’s information on your alumni benefits, SOAS events and news, and how to keep in touch with us. Please take time to read about our Scholarship Appeal, to find out more about the story of scholar David King, how his determination, talent and intelligence got him out of a dire situation and how his scholarship helped him thrive at SOAS.

If you have any comments or feedback, please get in touch with your Alumni Engagement team at alumni@soas.ac.uk.

Shona Aitken

Director of Advancement