English/Irish | Chinese/Italian
In the context of the University of Oxford, we hope our names; faces and stories will emphasise that there is a place for everyone at Oxford. According to last year’s admissions data, 700 Oxford undergraduates identify as mixed. In 2016, BAME students accounted for 15.9% of the undergraduate intake. Oxford is diversifying, albeit slowly. We hope to empower mixed heritage students at Oxford and foster a community where they can safely share their own opinions, experiences and stories.
My Father looks Chinese but has the mannerisms of any Italian. My Mother is half English and Irish but identifies strongest with her Father’s Irish heritage. I was fortunate and privileged enough that my heritage played no part in my decision to attend Oxford, the barrier for me seemed to be an intellectual one rather than anything else. I saw, rather optimistically and naively, that Oxford was a place where if you had a passion to learn about your subject, you could make it, irrespective of your background. I only realised once I got here how many factors are in play; Oxford has a long way to go in regard to putting the brilliant and widening discourse surrounding admissions into action. While the large majority of the student body are united in a message of equality, this enthusiasm needs to be picked up by the University in a more action-driven way. Oxford is getting better every day with how it approaches prospective students, particularly those who may find the concept of Oxford elitist and daunting. However, it has a long way to go. My experiences at Oxford have made me vastly more aware of my mixed identity. I grew up very content not to really think about it, I thought of myself as White as any of the other girls I went to school with. The power of the discourse in Oxford, and the sheer importance of people speaking their experiences and trying to make a difference has been enough for me to be able to claim my own identity. Before our creation of the Mixed Heritage Society, I experienced a sense of displacement. I didn’t fully belong in any of the societies for specific nationalities, because I didn’t feel like I was ‘enough’ of a singular one. It has been unbelievably rewarding bringing the society to fruition; meeting people who are so excited and relieved to have found a space in the bustling identity discourse at Oxford that they can call their own has been the most rewarding part.
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