Who we are
We’re a team of current St Anne’s students who can’t wait to speak to our alumnae and friends and explain what an impact their generosity has had on College life. We hope you’ll enjoy speaking to us too!
Samuel Owen Duch
I am currently studying BA Geography at St Anne’s, having matriculated in 2024.
I wanted to become a student caller because I am excited about the opportunity to give back to the Anne’s community, which has helped me flourish academically and socially. I want to connect more with alumnae, learn more about where people have gone on to from Anne’s, and see how Anne’s has changed over the years.
What I love most about St Anne’s is our incredibly welcoming and wholesome community. We are known for being one of the more progressive and outward facing colleges, and the people here are so friendly and down to earth. I also really value our fantastic facilities and location, with big open green spaces, being close to University Parks, and having two 24/7 libraries that are really big compared to other colleges where you sometimes cannot get a seat.
Outside of studying, I am really into hiking and walking, so I spend a lot of time exploring different parts of Oxford and going for long walks in the parks near us. I also love going to STACS, St Anne’s Coffee Shop, where we can get really nice subsidised pastries and drinks, but more importantly see my friends and have a space to hang out together.
Some of my favourite Oxford memories include celebrating after first year exams with all my friends and taking part in the many traditions around exams. My halfway hall, the dinner you attend when you are halfway through your degree, was also a really special celebration that I will never forget.
I received a prize for my performance in my preliminary examinations, which I am incredibly grateful for. I was able to use this money to subsidise my living costs, which really alleviated a lot of financial stress in my second year.
In the future, I am hoping to go into a career in sustainable urban planning, or something related that can have a significant social impact.
If I could call anyone in history, I would call Karl Marx. We read a lot of his work and Marxist perspectives in Geography, but they are usually interpretations of his original pieces, so I would be curious to hear his view of contemporary social issues and his thoughts on how we can navigate them.
Tully Ellis
I am studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics and
matriculated in 2024.
I wanted to be a student caller because I enjoy speaking to
new and interesting people from a wide range of backgrounds and love the chance
to learn from alumnae experiences. I feel deeply connected to St Anne’s and am
proud of the community that exists today, so I really value the opportunity to
connect with the extended Anne’s community.
Before coming to university, I was nervous because I did not
know anyone from my hometown who was at Oxford. At St Anne’s I have found a close community of welcoming and inspiring friends for life. I love the modern
take on an Oxford college, its proximity to Jericho, and the togetherness of
our large dining hall.
One of the most fun things I have done in Oxford was celebrating May Day with my St Anne’s friends, followed by punting the next morning at the Cherwell Boat House. St Anne’s is so lovely in the sun when we can sit on the quad and enjoy some of the best college food in Oxford.
As a second year living in private accommodation in Jericho, I have received financial support from College. While living in a house with friends has been a really fun experience, it has been made even better by having support so I do not need to worry about bills as much every month.
As a PPE student, I would like to go into a career in politics and public affairs. I have always been ambitious to make changes, and I have been able to do so over the last year as JCR Vice President and a member of the Ball Committee. I am still figuring out my exact career path, but I would love to live in a new city or even a new country.
If I could call anyone in history, maybe controversially, I would call J Edgar Hoover. He ran the FBI for decades, shaping it into a professional body while collecting thousands of documents on government officials, and I would want to know why he blackmailed the government and why it was so successful.
Alistair Anthony
I am reading Classics and matriculated in 2023.
As JCR Alumnae Representative, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know the alumnae community through the various events I have attended. I wanted to be a student caller so that I could become even more connected to that network and have the chance to speak to even more alumnae.
I love the welcoming community feel of St Anne’s and think it is one of the friendliest colleges. I also think it has a really unique feel in terms of its architecture and beautiful landscaping. The quiet location outside the bustle of central Oxford is another feature I really appreciate.
Outside of studying, I am a keen runner and love to jog in University Parks. I also like to take advantage of all the great talks and events offered by various Oxford societies, usually around topics such as AI and entrepreneurship.
One of the most fun things I have done at Oxford was attending the Christmas formal, where participation in a rendition of the 12 Days of Oxmas was unexpectedly sprung upon the JCR.
Looking ahead, I am not totally sure what I want to do, but I think the innovation coming through AI is fascinating. I would love to be involved in the changes that can come from it and help people understand how they can use AI to their benefit.
If I could call anyone in history, I would call Cicero because I am a big fan of his letters. The opportunity to get a live version of one would be a real treat, and hearing about the ups and downs of his life from being consul to being exiled would provide great insight into the late Roman Republic.
Ruby Austen
I am studying MBiol Biology and matriculated in 2022.
I wanted to become a student caller because I really value the St Anne’s community and enjoy connecting with people. Having served as JCR President, I have seen first hand how important alumnae support is for students, and I am excited to help strengthen that connection. I am also really keen to hear the experiences and stories of alumnae from when they were here and what they did after graduating.
What I love most about St Anne’s is its warmth and inclusivity. It has such a strong sense of community where people are supportive, engaged, and genuinely interested in one another. I also really appreciate how active and student led the College is, because there is always something happening and people are encouraged to get involved.
Outside of studying, I play for the St Anne’s tennis team and regularly use the College gym. I also enjoy spending time with friends, going to formals, and making the most of College life.
Some of my favourite memories include celebrating the end of Prelims with friends, sports team nights out, and taking part in Community and Giving Week fundraising. This included making cupcakes and having wet sponges thrown at me, and even at Helen King, for a good cause.
I have been very grateful to receive support from the Huxter Fund, as well as funding towards my research trip to Borneo where I conducted fieldwork in tropical forest ecology. Experiences like this have had a huge impact on my academic development, and I am very aware of how vital alumnae generosity is in creating these opportunities.
In the future, I hope to apply my microbiome related research to educating people about nutrition and how it influences the gut microbiome, ideally by building my own platforms to make scientific knowledge more accessible. I would also love to continue travelling, gain further diving qualifications so that I can teach diving, and potentially contribute to marine research.
If I could call anyone in history, I would call Leonardo da Vinci. I would update him on everything we have discovered since his time, from commercial flight and space travel to genetic sequencing, and see how someone with such boundless curiosity would react to modern science and technology
Melissa Eddon
I am studying BA History and matriculated in 2024.
I wanted to be a student caller because I feel deeply connected to St Anne’s College and know that it has given me so many academic and non academic opportunities since I started here. The idea of being able to connect with alumnae who had similar experiences and hear stories from their time here really excited me.
St Anne’s is a beautiful community, and in my time here I have never once felt that I did not belong. The wide range of societies and subject families means that I am constantly exposed to new ideas and experiences that have developed me as a person and encouraged new passions.
Outside of studying, I have gained a new passion for rowing and for student journalism. It has been wonderful to take part in activities that I never would have had access to without Oxford’s college system and the supportive environment at St Anne’s.
One of the most fun things I have done in Oxford has been exploring the different libraries, from the centuries old Duke Humphrey’s Reading Room to the new Schwartzman Centre for the Humanities.
In the future, I hope to enter a career in policy, with a specific interest in the North South divide and improving education access for students in the North of England. Outside of a career, I would love to travel more and perhaps take part in travel journalism.
If I could call anyone in history, I would love to call Jane Austen. I think she would have great gossip to tell me, and she has such a way with words.
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