Topic description and stories

Stories from the people that make Cambridge University unique.

Kirstie Stage in the gardens at Christ's College

The graduate student rewriting Deaf histories and disability histories

05 January 2024

When Kirstie Stage was diagnosed with hearing loss, she realised that the experiences of Deaf and disabled people were missing from the history books. Kirstie is determined to bring these narratives to the fore.

Read more

The anthropology student from north-west China who sees no borders to learning

18 May 2017

Shatanati Kuermanaili describes studying at Cambridge as “pouring material into my mind”. Aged 15, she was identified as one of the brightest pupils...

Read More

The environmentalist whose research focuses on the difficult choices we need to make

12 May 2017

He’s an eminent geographer who “never studied geography”. Bhaskar Vira’s childhood in India and background in economics inform his approach to...

Read More

The environmentalist whose research focuses on the difficult choices we need to make

12 May 2017

He’s an eminent geographer who “never studied geography”. Bhaskar Vira’s childhood in India and background in economics inform his approach to...

Read More

The environmentalist whose research focuses on the difficult choices we need to make for the prosperity of people and the planet

11 May 2017

He’s an eminent geographer who “never studied geography”. Bhaskar Vira’s childhood in India and background in economics inform his approach to...

Read More

The geography student who is exploring cultures - and encouraging others to apply to Cambridge

04 May 2017

Ever since she was 12, Rachel Mumford has been fascinated by South Korea’s distinctive culture and remarkable recent history. Now a third-year...

Read More

The Hebrew teacher who opens doors to learning

27 Apr 2017

She loves the silence of libraries and learnt to ride a bicycle at the age of 38. Hagar Ben-Zion teaches Hebrew at the Language Centre and catalogues...

Read More

The economist who makes the organ thunder

20 Apr 2017

He learnt to play the organ as a child and developed a keen ear for languages. Now Geerten Boonzaaijer unwinds from economics classes by practising...

Read More

The University Challenge star propelled by a love of maths

13 Apr 2017

With his unusual name and irrepressible good humour, Bobby Seagull emerged as one of the star contestants in the latest University Challenge series...

Read More

The trainee horticulturalist who believes gardens are for sharing

06 Apr 2017

She discovered a love of growing things in an overgrown corner of her parents’ Scottish garden. Now, she’s mastering botanical names and important...

Read More

The engineer who keeps the clock ticking

30 Mar 2017

He never intended to take a PhD — or to present television documentaries. Hugh Hunt is an all-rounder who combines his interest in things that bounce...

Read More

The student championing the Land Girls and Lumber Jills

23 Mar 2017

History student Cherish Watton is determined to remember the contribution made by the Land Girls and Lumber Jills.

Read More

The psychiatrist who does stand up

16 Mar 2017

He discovered performing at medical school in India and, as a PhD student at Cambridge, began to devise his own material. Armed with his ‘baloney...

Read More

Pages