Meet the Widening Participation Team
We believe that it's important for young people to be well informed
about the opportunities they have and the choices they will need to make
at 16 - after all, these decisions have an impact on the rest of their
lives.
That's why we work with the University's museums, colleges and departments, as well as other partners, to support young people in and around Oxfordshire on
their learning journeys and to make further or higher education a more
achievable goal.
Tara Prayag
Head of Widening Participation
Tara Prayag has been working for the University of Oxford for just over three years. Before that she worked at BBC Manchester, organising staff training and development and supporting the local outreach programmes. Here at Oxford, she is the head of the Widening Participation team so she gets to see what everyone else is doing.
Tara loved English at school (because her English teacher would let her write lots of stories) but her favourite point in school was getting to choose her A-levels as she was able to select subjects she had never worked on before; Communication Studies and Sociology. It was the 80s so those sorts of subjects were quite a big deal then!
Robyn Pearce-Jones
Widening Participation Co-ordinator
Robyn has been working for the University of Oxford since September 2009. Before joining the Widening Participation team, Robyn had many different jobs, including running a coffee shop and managing a Post Office. Her current project is the co-ordination and delivery of the flagship Oxford Young Ambassadors programme.
When not at work Robyn enjoys going for walks and visiting her home county of Cornwall.
Her favourite teacher was Mrs. Gilbert, who, if she caught a student kicking would confiscate the student’s shoes so that the next time the student tried it, it would hurt!
Sian Renwick
Widening Participation Co-ordinator
Sian Renwick has been working for the University of Oxford since January 2009 and joined the Widening Participation team in January 2010. She's been around Oxford for a while as she studied undergraduate and postgraduate Modern Languages at Queen's College, Oxford. Sian's main project is developing and delivering the Compass: Young Carers Programme.
In her spare time Sian is a Governor at a local Primary school, and a youth mentor for the County Council. She enjoys reading and trying out new crafts.
When she was in school, one of her best teachers was her English Literature teacher Mr Andrews; Sian was really shy and he taught her how to argue back and defend her opinions even when she was nervous!
Jimi Slattery
Widening Participation Co-ordinator
Jimi has been part of the Widening Participation team since September 2010 and his main project is our popular Primary programme, Dave Smith and the University Mystery.
Before joining the team he worked for a small charity based on the Isle of Coll in the Inner Hebrides after studying Archaeology at the University of York.
In his spare time Jimi enjoys cooking for friends and family and is a huge Manchester City supporter.
His favourite teacher at school was Mr Hodgson who taught him that not all teachers were right, and that there is a fascinating world to explore outside of West Berkshire.
Melissa Mead
Widening Participation Administrative Assistant
Melissa is originally from New Zealand and joined the team in September 2011. She provides administrative support for the team, and is responsible for the E-Mentoring programme used by the Widening Participation.
Before joining the Widening Participation team, Melissa spent some time managing a music store in Belfast, and working for a scientific network in Berlin.
When Melissa is not working she enjoys travelling, watching terrible films, attending gigs and learning languages.
Her favourite teachers in school were Mr Priest, who taught her a lot about nature and had excellent school camps, and Mrs Williams, who is responsible for Melissa's love of the Japanese language, culture and people.
Please do get in touch with us, we are always happy to chat through new ideas and discuss how we may help you:
