Dudley's first female MP graduates from university
Dudley’s first female MP has graduated from Aston University with a degree in business and management.
Sonia Kumar (pictured), who was elected with a majority of 1,900 at the General Election on 4 July, was previously a front-line physiotherapist in the NHS.
The newly formed constituency, comprising areas of the former Dudley North and Dudley South constituencies, is one of 57 seats in the West Midlands.
After leaving Cadbury College she worked at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Northfield where she is now a foundation trust member.
Sonia was awarded her masters degree in business and management at a ceremony at Eastside Rooms in Birmingham on Friday 19 July 2024.
Sonia Kumar MP said: “I am so happy. The Prime Minister gave me a day off to graduate. I put my request in quite early on as I knew I was graduating and everyone’s really pleased that I’ve graduated from Aston University with a distinction in MSc business and management.
“As a new MP, I’ve been doing a lot of networking and getting to understand other people’s perspectives over the last couple of weeks. Aston University has a really rich and diverse student base, so I've already been using some of the skills I’ve picked up and I will hopefully be using some of my strategic and operational business skills in the next few months to come.
“I want to encourage future students to be a glass ceiling breakers. There is nothing you can't achieve if you put your mind to it. Push boundaries and just keep going.”
Professor Zoe Radnor, pro vice-chancellor and executive dean for the College of Business and Social Sciences at Aston University, said: “I am delighted to see Sonia graduate.
“She is an inspiration to other students for her work as NHS physiotherapist, who has dedicated her working life to treating local patients and now as a MP serving the community.
“I look forward to watching her succeed in her new role as an MP, taking the learnings from her time at work and the degree in business and management to serve her constituents in Dudley, the wider West Midlands and the country as a whole.”
