Meeting Zep
Zep, creator of the renowned cartoon character Titeuf, shared his career and quick-thinking drawing skill with an audience at Wadham College.
"Alumni give back to our students their professional expertise, guidance and mentoring."
Nine notable alumni who have forged accomplished careers in law, journalism, theatre, fictional writing and natural history/wildlife film-making, gave our Giving Day activities a new twist this year. Returning to College to speak to students about their time at Wadham, their careers and topical issues, they reflected the many important ways of ‘giving back’ to Wadham.
Students were offered the opportunity to ‘host’ and organise the events, signing up instantly to do so! By working with the visiting speaker to shape each event, students made professional links and friendships too.
The series felt in many ways like a festival, spanning a month of engaging, insightful and informal talks. While the focus was student-to-alumnus, Fellows also participated in welcoming back their former students, which saw many emotional reunions.
Development Director, Julie Hage, explains:
“We are fortunate that alumni all over the world give back so generously to the College, and we could not deliver Wadham’s educational mission without this generosity, year on year. But the generosity of spirit is also expressed in the way our alumni give back to our students their professional expertise, guidance and mentoring. Emerging after the pandemic, it feels particularly meaningful that this new generation of students can learn from such an inspirational group of alumni. We hope to build on this format in the future”.
You can read more about the successful 2022 Wadham Giving Day here.
See below for event recordings and student comments.
On co-organising the talk with Phoebe Okowa (Law, 1988):
"I had the pleasure of hosting the Q&A with Professor Phoebe Okowa, who was very approachable and down-to-earth. Phoebe spoke generously about her fond memories of Wadham and the challenges she has had to overcome in her career. As an aspiring practitioner in the field of Public International Law, this was incredibly insightful and a great experience.” - Angel Chun (Law, 2020)
"Co-organising this event was a very fulfilling experience - I have followed Professor Okowa's work for years now, and to have a chance to engage with her and know more about her trajectory was invaluable. Hearing her story from Kenya to Oxford and beyond, and how she forged her own path in a very competitive field like international law, made me feel reassured that it is possible for someone like me, who also comes from a small city in the Global South, to make it in this profession." - Daniel Garrido (DPhil Law, 2020)
On co-organising the talk with Erica Whyman (Philosophy and Modern Languages, 1988):
“It was such a delight meeting and spending some time with Erica. As someone interested in theatre, I was fascinated by her insights into the process of directing and her broader thoughts about Shakespeare and performance. I’m so grateful to have had the chance to interview her, and then to join her in watching the wonderful production of Much Ado About Nothing in Wadham gardens.” - Imogen Front (Classics, 2018)
On co-organising the talk with Lissa Muscatine (PPE, 1977):
“Having the opportunity to organise this event was brilliant as it allowed us to reconnect with our incredible alumni, a luxury we weren’t afforded during the pandemic. Moreover, not only did I learn ample from Lissa and her varied experiences, but I also found interviewing her incredibly inspiring, and her willingness to answer questions and share her stories proved truly invaluable.” - Karishma Khosla (Law, 2020)
On organising the talk with Hari Kunzru (English, 1988):
“Speaking to Hari was a wonderful experience as I have been a huge fan of his work for a while now. Hearing him discuss the history of Wadham’s political culture, the process of archiving the history of the internet, and the role of fiction in the post-truth era was fascinating, and I am very grateful to Wadham for the opportunity!” - Ilana Cuello-Wolffe (English, 2020)
On organising the talk with Neil Nightingale (Zoology, 1979)
"It was a privilege to host Neil Nightingale at Wadham for an inspirational talk about his career and time as a student - it was an amazing opportunity for me to interact with someone so accomplished in their field and get some tips for starting my own career, and I am very happy I could be part of delivering that experience to other students!" – Despina Lazarou (Human Sciences, 2018)
On organising talk with Patrick Marber (English, 1983)
"It was an enjoyable and enriching experience talking to Patrick, and I really appreciated the opportunity to interview him." – Alex Kahn (Modern Languages, 2020)
