Alumni Careers
Alumni Jo Woolf (1992 English), Angus Lund (1990 Mathematics) and Zoe Flood (2002 History and Politics) presenting at the careers evening.
Isabella Ayers (2022 Law), JCR Careers and Alumni Officer, writes:
On 15 February, the Keble JCR, in collaboration with the college Alumni and Development Office, were delighted to welcome back three Keble alumni to talk to current students about their career journey.
The evening was a great success, with current Keble students eagerly engaging in discussions with our guest speakers, Jo Woolf (1992 English), Zoe Flood (2002 History and Politics) and Angus Lund (1990 Mathematics). Following an enlightening talk and Q&A session, students had the opportunity to interact with the speakers over drinks and dinner.
Jo’s discussion of her career in the TV industry, which touched on the often-overlooked issues affecting women and mothers in industry — particularly those who are self-employed — provided the audience with ample food for thought. Jo talked about her career trajectory, from starting as a runner before moving up to become researcher, Assistant Producer, then Producer/Director. She was candid about the highs and lows of the industry, and of freelance work, as well as the challenges young people today face in breaking into the business.
Our second speaker, Zoe, gave an interesting account of her career as an independent journalist and filmmaker for a wide range of international media outlets. Zoe was based in Nairobi for nearly ten years in her career, and talked to the students about her experiences living and working abroad, as well as how her time at Keble shaped her personally and professionally.
Angus began his talk by outlining, in the clearest explanation of the topic which I have encountered, what buzz words and terms such as ‘data science’, ‘finance’ and ‘hedge fund’ truly mean, prompting enthusiastic discussion and a barrage of questions which, as with Jo and Zoe’s talks, continued throughout refreshments and dinner.
For the students, one of the central takeaways from the event seemed to concern the flexibility and variability of our speakers’ career paths. Angus’s account, for example, of how he encountered data science later in his career, and of how he came to his current position as a partner and head of data science at AKO Capital, reinforced the truth of the notion that where a student begins their career after graduation is not, necessarily, where they will find themselves in 20 years.
Members of the JCR benefitted greatly from the insights they were able to get into three very different industries. The joining of Keble’s current students with its alumni bridged the gap between life as an undergraduate, aspiring to a successful career, and life within the workforce after graduation, in the pursuance and achievement of that aspiration.
The event’s success fuels my hope, as the current JCR Careers and Alumni Officer, that Keble can further strengthen the relationship between its alumni and current students. Strengthened links between the JCR and alumni can, I believe, become a distinguishing feature of Keble, such that Keble stands out amongst the other colleges for its exceptional alumni network, as much as for its celebrated red brick.
