Student news

In 2020 I made the jump and left my job at the BBC to read for a DPhil in modern Iranian Jewish history at Oxford. A major pull for me in returning to Oxford’s Oriental Institute for the doctorate was being surrounded by people working on everything from Biblical Hebrew to Classical Mongolian and Armenian under one roof. As an undergraduate I had spent time studying Persian and Urdu and living abroad in Istanbul and Jerusalem. I was looking forward to recapturing some of that variety once I was back at university.

As a typical Ukrainian child, I spent most of my free time playing outdoors and socialising – football was a huge passion of mine. I grew up specialising in learning foreign languages in Bila Tserkva and at the age of 15, I was one of three students from Ukraine to win a full academic scholarship to study A-levels in the UK. Realising I was not going to become the next Andriy Shevchenko in football or the next Steve Kaufmann in foreign languages, I decided to study sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Maths, and Further Maths) at school. 

Creating a pathway to Oxford

The world can be an inhospitable place for the millions of people who find themselves displaced or endangered by conflict, persecution, climate change or the violation of their human rights. Only 1% of those affected by displacement go on into higher education.

The information on our dedicated Vacation welfare support page will help you to find a mental health service whatever time of the day or night.

Visit the page to find support:

Why is industrial action happening?

The University and College Union (UCU) Oxford has voted in favour of industrial action over the national pay settlement and USS pensions. You can read more on the University’s web page, the UCU website and the Universities & Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) site.

The Graduate Scholarship Scheme for Ukraine Refugees offers graduates ordinarily resident in Ukraine but displaced by the war a full-time, one-year Masters course across a broad range of subjects. The scholarship is intended to further their academic training and development to enable them to better contribute to building back Ukraine’s future.

The scholarships are co-funded by the University and participating colleges, with each scholar given free accommodation and meals within their college, and a grant of £7,500 to support their study and living costs.

Travelling from the hilltops of the Peak District down to Oxford is a journey I’ve made a hundred times before, having worked in a recording studio in the Oxfordshire village of Eynsham. But this time felt different. As the car glided onto the panorama of the M40, adrenalin rushed to my toes. This was a journey that was never supposed to happen. This was my first day as a student at the University of Oxford.

Let’s rewind a little…

The journey so far

How have you found your time at Oxford so far?

Oxford is a large and complex organisation, and I am still navigating it all, but it is also a place where you can find opportunity to develop new approaches and build new partnerships; I am excited and keen to draw on this huge potential for change. 

What do you think are some of the biggest challenges facing students’ welfare and wellbeing and how is the University responding?

I grew up in Lambeth, South London, surrounded by an array of cultures — it was a patchwork of stories and experiences. As a child, my family would always tell me about the beautiful history of my motherland, Somalia. These words nurtured my interest in what I now know as, oral history. This process of passing down these stories and folktales across generations should be celebrated and amplified, and this is where the ACS shines.

The journey so far

I am a second year studying Experimental Psychology at Wadham College. My time at Oxford so far has definitely been a rollercoaster. It was a massive jump from sixth form, and I don't think I was ready for the level of independence, not only in studying but also trying to navigate socialising and, rather embarrassingly, I didn't even know how to use the washing machine when I got here(!). Outside of my studies I like to crochet and weightlift.