Interview with Kirsty Smith

Photos of Kirsty in locations across Oxford and back home in the North East supporting Sunderland AFC.

Kirsty Smith was appointed in September, as ‘Student Outreach Worker’, in a collaboration between New Road Baptist, Wesley Memorial Methodist, and St Columbas United Reformed Churches.

The three churches have a common vision and purpose in seeking to love and serve the students of Oxford, and are fully affirming and inclusive churches, to all people, regardless of age, sex, race, faith, gender, or sexuality.

Interview by Chrissie Chevasutt.

I caught up with Kirsty a couple of days before the start of a new academic year and term, for an informal and relaxed interview with her, getting to know her, her dreams, visions and hopes for this exciting new role.

Kirsty, what brought you to Oxford?

“I have always enjoyed learning, especially things about the world around me but I hadn’t always seen myself at Oxford. Around my GCSEs I was able to go to Cambridge on an access project giving me a small idea of what Oxbridge is like, without this I probably would not have thought of applying. I was also very fortunate to have a few teachers who pushed me to apply but I mostly applied as a dream which turned into my reality. I treated my interview as an opportunity to talk about  a subject I love rather than an actual interview because I didn’t think I would get into Oxford. As a first generation university student, getting in was completely beyond my expectations”

What were your first impressions of Oxford, university, and college life?

“Lock down for Covid happened just as after we arrived, and so it all became a bit surreal, we weren’t allowed to meet each other under lock down rules and were put into small ‘household bubbles’ of around three people. Learning was all remote and online. The city was eerily quiet, almost tranquil. But I’m more introverted than extroverted, and I think Covid and lock down eased a lot of the social pressures and anxieties that can overwhelm freshers.

At the same-time it was very isolating, to the extent that I did not really make many close friends until the end of my first year, and only met one of my now best friends in Trinity term of our second year on the Geography field trip.”

What did you love most about your time as a student in Oxford?

“I loved living in the city, coming from semi-rural County Durham. The contrast, the history, atmosphere, the hum, and buzz of student life. 

Singing in the chapel choirs was something that I loved, and which led to amazing opportunities to travel on choir tours, visiting Rome and Florence which were beautiful and stunning cities. I also ended up captaining the Rounders Team for a year, mostly because I regularly played during covid as there was nothing else to do! The busyness was intense, but also energising.

Having cattle in the city centre still makes me smile, I find it such a contrast to the hussle, and bustle of city life but it is a nice reminder to slow down.

Most of all I loved the friendships. My best friend was my uni ‘wife’, and we were so close, often turning up wearing the same things (very unintentionally), and had on occasion been mistaken for being partners (being voted best couple on choir tour). We are, still, just best friends, 2 years on.

Two of the highlights of my time as a student in Oxford were the love and security church provided. One of my happiest days and memories was a simple invitation to spend the day in the home of one of the older couples from my church, ‘Wesley Mem’. 

The other was the time I spent working in access work (being part of the JCR access team in first year, Access Rep in second year and continuing working with the Access fellows as a student ambassador in my final year), enabling less privileged potential students to visit, and learn about the incredible opportunities the university provides. I have benefitted from such schemes and was extremely passionate about giving back.”

What were your biggest struggles being a student in Oxford?

“I think it was something so many students experience, in smaller schools, we may have been in the highest grades and results in our studies and exams, yet in Oxford, we might struggle to even reach average results. That was certainly my experience. I was relieved to get a 2.2 in most of my first year essays, but my tutor thought I could be doing better! The pressure of studies and exams can be so intense, hard, and can add to the anxieties so many students feel.

Feeling you were once a big fish in a small pond, to feeling you are a very small, and somewhat vulnerable fish in a big pond.

I did suffer from anxiety sometimes, and felt homesick on many occasions, being stuck, 300 miles from home, unable to enjoy family celebrations and occasions, so church was my family away from home.”

So, what have you been doing since Oxford, did you return home?

“No, I did a PGCE course and so spent a year teaching Geography in a couple of secondary schools. It was pretty tough, and I don’t feel confident enough to be in charge of my own classrooms just yet.”

And now, you’ve stepped into this amazing role and opportunity, which has never existed before, so you are going to be shaping the role, what do you hope to bring to this role, and to the students and churches you serve?

“I’m very motivated, and passionate as a result of the opportunities I was able to enjoy whilst a student at Oxford, and by the formative experience of being part of Jesus College access work. I received so much during my time as a student.

My desire is to give back into the lives of students, understanding more of their needs and the issues they face, but also to give back into the life of the church and university.

I don’t take for granted the incredible privilege of studying in Oxford.

Being able to love and serve the students and student community, helping to provide friendship, pastoral support, resources, and community is at the heart of who I am, and what I do, any ‘stuff’’, events, gatherings, and socials, will flow out of that.

Helping students connect, find friends and community is the bottom line. The role is new and whilst each of the three churches have small student communities, there is no central vision as yet. That will emerge and be shaped by the students' needs, very full and busy lives, as we listen to them and engage with their pastoral needs.

For me it's not about ‘converting students’ to religion, faith, or some agenda, if we love and serve people, without agenda, God’s love transforms us all from within. I’m people centred, not agenda centred.

My understanding is that the Holy Spirit draws us, leads us, loves us into communion and intimacy with God. I don’t want to get in the way of that process, but want to facilitate it. Sometimes for God to move deeply in people’s lives, we actually have to get out of the way. And sometimes we need to be there for them, show up, and step up.

Laugh with them, cry with them, celebrate with them, and sadly, sometimes, even mourn with them.

Jesus makes a big thing of friendship. I’m happy to be in a role, where I can get to be just that, a friend for students when they need one.

Friendship was what made my time in Oxford as a student so rich and rewarding, friendship was what held me in church. Friendship is an expression of divine love, and love is the substance and being of God, so I don’t want to ever move far from it, or fall into agenda driven thinking and life. There is far too much of that in the world and the church already.

Although I’m primarily introverted, I seem able to talk to nearly anyone and everyone. We were on the train the other day and my boyfriend said to me afterwards, 

“How do you do it? You always manage to talk to strangers wherever we go!”

I don’t really know. It’s just human kindness, isn’t it?