James Weinberg (History, 2009)

Having done his undergraduate degree in History at Hertford, James went on to do a Masters in Politics before entering the classroom again as an English teacher in West London.

If my sixteen year old self were to see me now, he probably wouldn’t recognise me – a lot of that has to do with my time at Hertford. The experience at Hertford gave me a confidence in my academic ability and more importantly my character that I had never felt before university. As the only student in my year to go to Oxford from a state school in greater Manchester, I had been apprehensive. But my fears about fitting in were misguided. To anyone who is considering applying but harbouring those same apprehensions, I would urge them to trust their own abilities and embrace the opportunity. You will have unique qualities to share at Hertford and a lot to learn from other people.

As JCR president I was particularly proud of the efforts that we put into access work. We set up a student ambassador scheme with money that I raised from alumni, commissioned an alternative prospectus from the Guardian, pushed for a new college bursary scheme, and campaigned doggedly against the hike in tuition fees. These interests are sustained in my current work with the Parliamentary Education Service on curriculum reforms, which I am leading alongside an ESRC-funded PhD in Parliamentary Politics. My experiences at Hertford have and will continue to shape what I do.