Mother and son celebrate joint graduation at St Antony’s

It’s not often the Sheldonian hosts a mother-and-son duo graduating side by side, but Melissa (DPhil Biological Anthropology, 1979) and her son Josh (MPhil Development Studies & DPhil International Development, 2019) did exactly that in November. For Melissa, it marked the finale of a DPhil completed 37 years ago. For Josh, it was special to celebrate his achievement with someone who had been so important to his own DPhil journey.

We asked them both what it was like to share this moment.

How does it feel to be graduating together?

Josh
Really special! Mum was such a crucial part of my PhD journey, so having her with me every step of the way just made sense.

Melissa
Wonderful! I completed my DPhil 37 years ago. At the time, I felt a bit at war with Oxford – it was too elitist and self-congratulatory for my liking. When Josh suggested that we graduate together, I was thrilled – partly because he had managed to be a lot more balanced about Oxford than I at a comparable age, and partly because I finally got to graduate!
What were you most proud of on your graduation day?

What were you most proud of on your graduation day?

Josh
Myself! DPhils are really hard…

Melissa
Josh! His DPhil is brilliant. It is a beautifully crafted, provocative and thoughtful ethnographic monograph.  

What made each of you choose St Antony’s?

Josh
Having done my undergrad at St Catz, I wanted to be in a very international, graduate college – St Antony’s was the only place that made sense.

Melissa
My doctoral research involved fieldwork on health and well-being in central Sudan. St Antony’s had a considerable number of anthropologists, political scientists and historians with specialist interests in this part of the world and I was keen to be part of an international academic community working on related issues. I was also keen to leave my previous college, LMH, which had a very small postgraduate intake.

Has being students at the same College at different times changed how you see each other?

Josh
Not particularly – I grew up around lots of Mum’s St Antony’s mates, so I knew what the vibes were before I came.

Melissa
Not at all! Josh is always going to be Josh, wherever he goes!

What will you both take away from your time at St Antony’s?

Josh
Community matters, but it’s hard to find and you only properly benefit from it when everyone benefits from it. Investing in community means working for the community – St Antony’s taught me this and I’ll take it with me for the rest of my life.

Melissa
Josh is spot on with this statement! I can’t think of anything to add that is equally profound!