This year sees the Hertford College JCR led by three women – President Eloise George, Secretary Orlaith Lindsay, and Treasurer Riya Wadhwa. We spoke to them about their ambitions, inspirations and legacy to mark International Women’s Day.
Why did you want to take on your JCR position?
Eloise: “Before I joined Hertford, I would never have thought to stand as JCR President! Since I’ve been here though, I’ve discovered that Hertford is a really positive community and so I genuinely wanted to support the people here who have made my time so special. I wanted to give something back.”
Riya: “I have loved my time at Hertford so far, and am proud to be part of such a diverse and interesting community. However, I felt that there was still work to be done in order to make Hertford an even more welcoming and comfortable place for all students – I was eager to play a part in ensuring that Hertford continues to be at the forefront of change within Oxford.”
Orlaith: “I love Hertford and I am excited to be here! Things across Oxford aren’t always as accessible as they can be so I think it’s important for people at Hertford to act and get involved and to take advantage of opportunities that are available to them. I also hope that people who would never have considered themselves to be prospective students get to know that Hertford is on the map and consider applying.”
What would you like your JCR legacy to be?
Riya: “I am keen to make Hertford as accessible as possible, so I would love to work with college staff to conduct a review of the bursary scheme and college rent. I’m also making changes to ensure that our financial resources are allocated in the most ethical way and, finally, am working on some refurbishments to the JCR space in the hope that it will become a more vibrant community hub.”
Orlaith: “To improve things in terms of access and welfare – I have struggled myself whilst here and working with the welfare team really helped me. My current big project is building a website so that the information is clearer about who to contact if you are in need of welfare support, which means a lot to me. Making sure that Hertford is the most diverse, the most fair and best version of itself is what I want to see!”
Eloise: “I would like to be known for having reinvigorated the JCR after Covid-19. It’s been a time of stagnation due to our inability to do much, having to stay inside with limited opportunities. I would like to have increased the efficiency of the JCR, to have optimised engagement, and to have helped create a fun student body which is run by the students and works for the students.”
Which female leader do you most admire and why?
Riya: “I most admire Ruth Bader Ginsburg for her work on women’s rights and equality. It is so important to challenge the status quo, especially as a woman, and Ginsburg inspired me to fight for the causes I believe in. She led by motivating others to join her campaign, which I think is a key lesson in successful leadership.”
Eloise: “Whilst not a leader in the political sense, I hugely admire the work of Nawal El Saadawi. She was a key voice for Middle Eastern women, being very much at the forefront of the Egyptian feminist movement. I’ve always found her work both profound and inspirational.”
