Prior to coming to ODID, I was doing the online pilot pathways Refugee Studies Fellowship in collaboration with the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) and British Institute in Eastern Africa (BEIA). Before my MSc in RFMS, I did my BA in Psychology at New York University Abu Dhabi. As for where I am from, I would say Uganda as this is my legal country of citizenship now but I grew up mostly in Kenya.

Having done the online fellowship with the Refugee-Led Research Hub (RLRH), I became interested to study the MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration. I wanted to get a more in-depth understanding of forced displacement to build on the introduction I received from the fellowship. I also really enjoyed the advanced seminars led by the faculty at RSC and was excited to continue learning from them as a full time student in the department.

One of the best things about ODID is the staff and faculty, particularly Gary, the department's caretaker, and the RLRH team. Gary always made the department feel like home from his cheerful attitude and always caring for us. He did this by checking in on us, cheering us on whenever we would be dealing with deadlines and giving us snacks. While the RLRH team were a great support throughout and they also made the Refugee Studies Centre feel very welcoming.

I liked the interdisciplinary approach of the course and the opportunity to go in depth in the different fields concerned with Refugees and Forced Displacement. I have learnt so much from my course of study and the diversity of our cohort further enriched the experience of learning. I also enjoyed the fact that in Hilary term we got to select courses of our choice based on our interests which were taught by different faculty in the department.

My dissertation was focused on inclusion of refugees in tertiary education in the UK with a focus on UNHCR's 15 by 30 goal, that is the goal to increase percentage of refugees enrolled in universities to 15% by the year 2030.

While at Oxford I was a part of the Wild Swimming society, the Oxford University Fencing Club as a novice, the Postgraduate Consultancy group (PGCG) which is a branch of the Oxford Student Union, and volunteering with Multaka Oxford. I was also taking part in the leadership development component of my scholarship, the Weidenfeld and Hoffmann Trust Scholarship, which involved moral philosophy seminars and entrepreneurship workshops on Business for social impact. At the end of Trinity term I was involved in the Global Leadership Summer School, which was a one week long course organized by the Oxford Character Project. I also went for an internship to Bangladesh in July and this August I will be in an internship in Costa Rica, both of which are through the Career Connect services.

I tried to not have much of an expectation prior to arriving in Oxford just so that I would be pleasantly surprised. I felt very fortunate on arriving to be a member of different communities, ranging from my scholarship group, Worcester College, AfOx Society, Sanctuary Community and course cohort. These were very instrumental in making Oxford feel like home. A pleasant surprise was also the diversity of people from different backgrounds and the opportunity to meet very like-minded people across the different communities I was a part of.

The first advice I would give is to not disqualify yourself, apply to Oxford and don’t think that you are not Oxford ‘material’. However, don’t just apply because of the prestige that comes with Oxford but because you have found the right course for you and one you are passionate to undertake because it is going to be an intense yet worthwhile journey. The passion and intention of studying a specific course is what will keep you going even when things start to get hectic. As you work on your application, seek support and get feedback from counsellors and peers to make sure you have a strong application and don’t hesitate to reach out to alumni and current members if you have any questions, most people would be very happy to help. Review all the necessary resources available to get a full picture of what your experience will be like and whether the course and department are the right fit for you.