Eugenie Reidy (Archaeology and Anthropology, 2001)
Eugenie started at Hertford at the beginning of the millennium reading Archaeology and Anthropology. Since graduating, she has been committed to international development and outreach with indigenous peoples.
Struggling to choose between art and science, and wanting to travel and see the world, my eighteen-year-old self learned through a better-informed friend about ‘Arch and Anth’. It was a trigger for looking seriously at Oxford, and Hertford – one of the few colleges that offered the course and which had a reputation for being a more down-to-earth and less ‘powerhouse’ environment than others among the dreaming spires. In a spartan room in Old Quad I couldn’t sleep before the interview, convinced I couldn’t possibly have read or learned enough to be a serious candidate. Then in a wood-panelled study high above the cobbles, two professors drew me into an almost conspiratorial discussion on Incan warfare psychology and sacred Ganges oil lamps – leaving me absolutely hungry for more.
Three years flies by. That’s the first thing any new Hertfordian should remember, and if possible they should have it printed at the bottom of their coffee cup. There is no other time in life when so much is so generously on offer, from the on-tap genius of tutors and lecturers to the plethora of societies, people, activities and ideas. You need to lean in, absorb everything, and grab opportunities with both hands. You never know where they’ll lead.
After Hertford I went on to do a master’s degree in the anthropology of development at SOAS (University of London) and then worked in international development with a focus on indigenous peoples. In South Asia the highlights of this were staying with indigenous families on the banks of India’s River Narmada and touring a travelling children’s cinema in Pakistani Kashmir after the 2005 earthquake. Then I worked for NGOs in East Africa, with dusty, happy stints of fieldwork living with nomadic pastoralist communities, before spending several years in the Nairobi-based UNICEF regional office. This was a whole new education, not just in fascinating and fragile contexts like Somalia and South Sudan, but in policy and bureaucracy too. Living in Africa was also an education, not least in what a rare privilege my life and particularly education has been. It is heartbreaking to befriend and encourage incredibly smart young people only to realise how much stands in the way of them getting the education they deserve. And a reminder to grab all the chances Hertford and Oxford offers, but also embrace the spirit of sharing them as broadly as possible.
I’m now based in Sydney, working for a fantastic foundation called Jawun that supports Aboriginal communities, including by sending skilled people to Aboriginal organisations that burst with ideas and dedication but lack professional or technical capacity. Those people are corporate or government employees who in turn get a re-education in Australia’s history, culture and identity. It’s a practical way of closing the gap in opportunity marking so many societies today. Just like Hertford’s access and outreach investments, which benefit all those involved and make a truly inclusive and authentic college even more so.