THE DIRECTORS

Dr Claire Cockcroft Programme Director

Reflecting on my undergraduate days at Somerville, it is a great privilege to lead the Trust’s efforts to enrich our students’ educational experience, through events strengthening academic skills, mentoring and career guidance. The rebranded Development Programme — ‘SkillsHub’ — also provides avenues for knowledge exchange within our broader college community. Junior Research Fellows (JRFs) offer academic guidance, as well as invaluable internships, enabling students to make more informed choices about their futures.

There has also been a steady growth in one-to-one mentoring, a unique offering at Somerville, which has opened minds and doors to possibilities. A deeper understanding of students’ needs and aspirations facilitates tailored ‘matching’ with training opportunities, resonating with our mission to identify and support future ‘change makers’. One student gained entrepreneurial experience last summer with the LIBER programme at Oxford Said’s Entrepreneurship Centre, which places students from BAME backgrounds in start-ups to increase accessibility to leadership positions. Another was pointed towards the Careers Service’s Future Leaders Innovation Programme, an entrepreneurship skills development programme to equip students with knowledge and positive behaviours to innovate and drive change. It also leads to an ILM Level 3 award in leadership and management.

Scholars have seized initiatives to develop their skills and contribute to social good. Following a seminar showcasing JRFs’ research, Sarafina Otis (Medicine, 2020) approached Dr Shobi Nagraj, to participate in a public health project. Sarafina, who came second in last year’s University medical exams, evaluated government programmes aiming to address holiday hunger through community schemes in Oxfordshire.

Volunteering features prominently among scholars. Some are engaging with schools to help ‘demystify’ Oxford, or raise aspirations in STEM careers, while others volunteer with community projects. Ming Song (Law, 2021) leads the Oxford Hub’s Schools Plus Twinning Programme for Somerville, and is busily recruiting student tutors to help prepare St Frideswide Primary School pupils for Maths SATs. Taking classics into the community, George Seager (Classics, 2020) was selected as an Ashmolean Ambassador, giving museum tours to students visiting Oxford through the Access Programme.

Internships and Thatcher Development Awards have provided students with an unrivalled insight into research fields, from Antarctic ice core modelling, to excavating literary archives, documentary film-making highlighting whale conservation and also delivering innovation training in Benin. Thanks to our generous support, scholars and the wider student body can access career enhancing experiences, keeping them motivated and moving towards their future goals after Oxford.