Audrey is a full-time student on our MSc Education (Child Development and Education) course. She works in the educational field. Before coming to the department she completed her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science (Toxicology) and Chemistry at Duke University in the US.

What degree did you apply for and why was it important to you to study this?

Having a career that is focused on learning, it was really important to me to embody a spirit of lifelong learning in myself. It has been so amazing learning more about child development, and I am looking forward to applying what I have learned at Oxford to my work as an educator.

What do you hope to go on to do once you’ve completed your postgraduate degree? What do you hope to achieve?

After completing my master’s degree at Oxford, I will be pursuing my Ph.D. in Educational Psychology back in the United States. I am very passionate about teacher professional growth, and I hope to go on to support schools and educators in the capacity as an educational psychologist.

What do you most value about the teaching at the department?

I really value the expertise that the professors in the department bring to their teaching. They are all so knowledgeable and bring unique and varied experiences to their lessons that make them engaging and relatable.

What’s the community (student & staff) like at the department?

The community at the department is very welcoming and supportive. Everyone is so interested in each other’s work and really dedicated to the success of each other.

What has your degree taught you most?

My degree has taught me the power of asking questions. I have learned how to critically approach ideas and formulate my own opinions.

How do you get involved in other research activities within the department and what are they?

I had the amazing opportunity to be part of the planning committee for the STORIES conference. STORIES is an annual conference hosted by the department that features students’ ongoing research, and I got to flex my creative side by creating marketing materials for the event. I am also working part-time as a Research Assistant in the department.

Do you have a mentor in the department, and if so how has this helped you?

What advice would you give to new postgraduate students on how they can get involved in the department community? The advice that I have for new postgraduate students is to spend time in the department forging new relationships. The people are amazing!