Student news 1
na Stambolic A VSP, 2019
In April 2021, Ana was awarded a full fellowship to begin an interdisciplinary master’s degree in China Studies at Yenching Academy of Peking University in China. Ana is focusing on the extensive study of Chinese Foreign Policy. 2
aitlin Corrigan C Jurisprudence, 2018
This year, Caitlin was awarded an Astbury Scholarship, one of Middle Temple’s major awards. The Astbury Scholarship offers members of Oxford and Cambridge universities an opportunity to practise at the Bar of England or Wales. Successful candidates show both strong intellectual capability and a motivation to reach the Bar. The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple is one of four Inns of Court that give education and support to students and barristers throughout their careers.
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Harry Twohig History, 2019
In August 2021, Harry was presented with a Vice-Chancellor’s Social Impact Award, in the Undergraduate & Integrated Master’s category. These annual awards are presented by the Vice-Chancellor to students who’ve demonstrated an exceptional commitment to positive social change while at Oxford. Harry is involved with a variety of youth projects both within the University and beyond. He amplifies youth voices as a member of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Policy Steering Group of the British Youth Council. In addition to his election as President of Target Schools, the @OxfordStudents access scheme, Harry is an Ambassador for the Young Trustees Movement.
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ary Whittingdale M Theology & Religion, 2019
Mary is President of Womxn in Theology (WIT), a society for both undergraduate and postgraduate female-identifying students studying Theology & Religion at Oxford. The society has three goals: to provide a space to support womxn’s perspectives in the Faculty; amplify womxn’s voices in Theology; and network with other female-identifying students to foster solidarity and mentorship. As President, Mary has tried to maintain both the social and academic vision of the society’s founders. Social highlights have included a Black Lives Matter discussion with guest speakers Ijeoma Ajibade and Evie Vernon, as well as a fantastic evening with the queer feminist theologian and poet, Rachel Mann. A number of Faculty members and alumni have also joined WIT for academic discussions – with speakers such as Francesca Stavrakopoulou, Kirsten Macfarlane, Bethany Sollereder, Jessica Frazier, and Jennifer Strawbridge, who illuminated how to navigate the discipline as womxn. In Trinity term 2021 WIT also launched its first blog, which can be found at http:// www.womxnintheology.com. WIT is always looking to highlight new voices and perspectives, so please do get in touch to contribute.
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itchell Marshall M History, 2019
In Hilary 2021, Mitch worked at the Oxford Blue as its Current Affairs Editor, and subsequently became an Editor-inChief in Trinity term. The Oxford Blue is a digital news publication, founded with the aim of encouraging budding journalists by providing opportunities for students to develop their journalistic skills, regardless of their background. It strives to give new
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writers every chance to flourish, and it was this ethos that first attracted Mitch to the Blue as a fresher in early 2020. Mitch has greatly enjoyed being part of an impressively skilled group of students from across Oxford this year, including several other amazing Mansfielders in various sections of the newspaper. 6
R achael Chan Geography, 2018
From June to July 2021, third-year geographer Rachael Chan participated in a tree census in Wytham Woods – a mixed deciduous piece of woodland located just outside Oxford’s city centre. The census, which consisted of measuring living and fallen trees within an 18-hectare plot, is an ongoing project by the Oxford Ecosystems Lab led by Prof Yadvinder Malhi. As most field projects were cancelled during the pandemic, this initiative offered a rare opportunity to carry out fieldwork locally without posing significant risk to our surrounding communities. The census required intense focus because the team had to locate and measure 20,000 trees that were recorded in the 2016 census. This year’s census was also significant as the area has been subject to the tangible effects of ash dieback. Ash dieback is a fungal infection that causes 80% mortality of ash trees. As ash grow at extremely fast rates compared to other species, their deaths are particularly poignant; each measurement is a form of remembrance. The data will be made publicly available on the Global Earth Observatory network. ‘The census requires teamwork and camaraderie. We hope that it will be helpful to ecologists and scientists for future research.’ Rachael Chan
