Stephanie Cullen (Chemistry, 1999)

Rower

If you had told me upon turning up at Hertford College that my portrait would hang in the hall fifteen years later as a rowing World Champion, I would have laughed and told you that you must have the wrong person. You see, I didn’t really ‘do’ sport at school, and I certainly wasn’t selected for any teams – I was average at best. I didn’t even intend on going to the river for the fresher session – my friend dragged me. She rowed for one term; I went on to be Boatclub Captain, then President, persuade a future Olympic rower to get off the rugby pitch and into a boat, lead the women’s 1st and 2nd VIII to a historic double blades in Summer Eights and win the Boatrace with OUWLRC by a convincing 2 lengths. My mum might have reminded me I came to Hertford to do a Chemistry degree!

It is certain that I would not have set foot in a boat anywhere else. Coming to Hertford College changed the course of my future. That has never been lost on me, and I’m grateful and honoured to have been given this opportunity to put my thanks in print.