Hannah Madsen (Hertford) took up the challenge once more and along with Tom Wilkinson (St Catz & St Antony's) set off in August 2009 on a 6-month trip through 11 different countries. They interviewed 70 alumni and produced over 200 films covering topics such as career choices, alumni networks, Rhodes Scholarships, internships and what the alumni took away from their time studying at Oxford.
This videowall shows 100 of those films plus a short "making of" film about the project. It is also possible to see films from this project on:
What are the videos for?
The videos have been made with multiple audiences in mind. Firstly, to profile careers that alumni have gone on to do in order to inspire current students and give them ideas about where to go next after finishing University. Secondly, to show other alumni that there are many ways to get involved and 'give back' to Oxford, not just financially, and the benefits of joining your local alumni group. Thirdly, we wanted to capture interesting stories about what graduates from Oxford are doing now, to show the breadth of former students we have, and hear their stories, which may be of interest to anyone visiting the Oxford University site, including potential applicants.
How were the alumni and countries chosen?
Tom filming in India
The Alumni Office gave Hannah and Tom a shortlist of cities that have a particularly active alumni society, and the Rhodes Trust drew up a list of cities where they have a group of alumni. With a travel agent's help they worked out the best round-the-world ticket that would let them visit as many as possible whilst still staying within a budget of £2,500. In total they visited 22 cities.
Hannah started by interviewing the volunteers who run the alumni societies in each city, then asked for their recommendations of other potential interviewees. She interviewed about 2-3 alumni per city and made sure she had a good mix of ages and careers.
Why were 200 films made?
Even though there were 70 interviewees, multiple films were made from each person’s interview. For instance, a separate edit was made just focusing on that participant’s career, which will be used on the Careers Service website. Similarly, edits focusing just on their Scholarship will be used for the Rhodes Trust website, and the same for involvement with the local alumni societies.
