Current Darwin students will be calling alumni from 4th-21st April to reconnect, learn about their lives post-Darwin, and solicit support for the College’s future. We are enormously proud both of our former students, who have helped to shape the first 60 years of Darwin’s history and are employing their skills and research gained here to change the world for the better; and of our current cohort who tread in their footsteps. We hope both sides will enjoy their conversations and, if you feel able to give, we are enormously grateful.
Here are a few of the callers you can expect to hear from. Thank you to them all!
I am excited to get involved with the telephone campaign as I love speaking to new people and would love to learn about what Darwin alumni have gone on to achieve, all while raising money for the College.
Leah Hurst, first year PhD student at the MRC Toxicology Unit studying mechanisms of drug toxicity in the airways
I participated in the telephone campaign a couple of years ago and I enjoyed reaching out to alumni so much, I wanted to get involved again this time round. The telephone campaign is so important for raising money for the College and supporting student life here in Darwin. On a personal level, it was also a great way for me to touch base with alumni and hear about all their memories and stories from their own time at Darwin. The campaign really makes you realise that there is a much wider Darwin community out there, many of whom have gone on to have successful careers and are happy to share some of their knowledge.
Patrick Hayes, third year PhD student in Classics
When I saw the Easter Fundraising Campaign poster on the College noticeboard , I was immediately convinced to sign up for the project. I considered it an incredible opportunity to speak with Darwin alumni and talk about our shared experiences. Besides the old-world charm of connecting over a landline call (which is lost in the modern mobile world), I see this as an opportunity to raise funds for the College, which contributes immensely to alleviating the student experience in Cambridge.
At Darwin College, I have felt at home since my first day. Being a part of the campaign to raise a steady fund for the College is a tiny step towards sustaining the legacy of the College’s diverse and strong academic community.
Atmaja Tripathy, Masters in Law
My time at Darwin College since I arrived in October has been amazing and I have been able to meet such lovely people, allowing me to feel at home very fast. This is why I decided to get involved with the fundraising campaign. I love meeting new people and I am very excited to chat to alumni about their own experiences at Darwin and what they have been up to following graduation.
Elvire de Thomasson, MPhil in Genetics at Sainsbury Laboratory, working on the mechanisms of petal patterning of Hibiscus trionum
I’ve been involved in a calling campaign for Darwin in the past and was able to talk to a range of alumni. I highly enjoyed my experience which is why I’m back again! I love talk to older Darwinians about their time at Darwin and what they were able to get away with while they were here!
Niamh Hartley, final year PhD student in Chemistry, developing materials for carbon capture, and DCSA President