Jannika provides an overview of her time at St. Catherine's College

"I had been to Oxford before, when I was a kid. The place had seemed like a magical fortress to me back then, and I loved the colleges, especially Christ Church and its beautiful gardens. But people grow up, and so did I, so when my parents assigned me to the ORA course at St. Catherine’s, I told myself. “Ok, yay, you are going back to Oxford. But this time, you are coming to learn”. Looking back, I realize I did learn a lot. Just most of it things I never expected. I know how to politely thank in Icelandic, greet in Armenian and that it doesn’t pay off to leave an English house without an umbrella. I have learnt that in a small and neat classroom a thunderstorm of ideas can be housed, a colourful variety even when people are discussing the same thing. But just the same people you have never known before, who have totally different experiences can be your soul mates and friends. I have discovered that my Oxford childhood environment still holds beautiful surprises to me, and learnt a great deal about the world. But also about myself. If you have teachers that inspire and encourage you, friends that are always ready to fight by your side and a goal in mind that matters to you, then you can achieve everything. All you need is the bravery to take a first step."

Jannika (Broadening Horizons Programme)