Emma Experience Journey
Emmanuel Review 2025
Daniel McKay, Director of Emma Experience, sat down with Astrid Westlake, President of ECSU; Stella Wernicke, Education & Careers Officer of the MCR; and Soniya Gupta-Rawal, PhD student, to discuss the programme and the challenges and opportunities they face in their day-to-day lives.
DANIEL (DM): Thank you for coming to chat about Emma Experience on this balmy summer’s day, especially while the splash of the swimming pool is almost in earshot. Emma Experience is about creating opportunities for students. It has four branches: wellbeing, community, skills and careers, and includes everything from pilates on the Paddock and masterclasses on public speaking, to money management and the Emma Enterprise lab and competition. As we come to the end of its third year, we’re keen to catch up with how you and your peers have engaged with the programme. This year, we also introduced the Mildmay Award for personal and professional development, recognising that learning and experience comes from volunteering, student leadership and participating in the Emma Experience programme.
DM: What Emma Experience events have you found most memorable over your time at Emmanuel?
ASTRID (AW): Yoga sessions in the chapel have become part of my weekly routine. It’s such a great way to unwind and take a break from busy Cambridge life.
STELLA (SW): I attended a group tour of the Palace of Westminster during my first term at Emma. I had recently moved to the UK from Germany and the insight into a different political system was fascinating. I also found the water safety course, run from the college pool, super helpful. It’s an experience and life skill I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to engage with otherwise.
SONIYA (SGR): For me, the most memorable sessions were on developing public speaking skills and managing money. As a married PhD student from an international background, building my confidence in these areas, in a new cultural context, has been incredibly valuable for me.
DM: What elements of the programme do you see as most valuable to students? What has had the biggest personal impact on you, and why?
AW: As an undergraduate student in the humanities, the careers branch has been particularly valuable to me. The career paths I could pursue are diverse and not always clear-cut, so I’ve enjoyed meeting members at events and careers drop-ins.
SW: Emma Experience promotes a healthy, holistic approach to studying and working. Its community focus helps you think about how the skills you are developing can help others.
SGR: The community element has been vital for me too. Attending the Scriptorium group writing sessions, seeing people from different backgrounds, different subjects, all working on their own things, keeps me accountable.
DM: Has something you’ve seen, heard or done at an Emma Experience event set off your own thinking, or made you see something from a different perspective?
SGR: I treat Emma Experience events as my ‘me’ time. Rather than binge-watching TV, I’ve been out on garden tours, museum experiences and personal development talks. It’s been great for my work-life balance.
SW: I agree. I’ve learned things, like healthy approaches to sleep, nutrition and stress management, that are helpful in daily life.
DM: Do you think Emma Experience has been received well in the broader undergraduate and postgraduate communities?
AW: I think Emma students are always excited to get stuck into new opportunities, but are also appreciative of the regular events that are easy to integrate into our weekly routines.
SW: Emma Experience allows students to engage with new activities and topics. Especially for postgraduates, who – unlike undergraduates – often do not have courses together, the events offer a great opportunity to get to know fellow MCR members from a different and more personal perspective.
DM: As a co-curricular programme, Emma Experience seeks to complement the academic work of the college, recognising that a University of Cambridge education should be a well-rounded one. In support of this, we have introduced the Mildmay Award to encourage students to get stuck into personal and professional development opportunities. How important do you think it is to recognise co-curricular learning in this way?
SGR: I see the Mildmay Award as a facilitator, rather than a primary motivating factor, for students. It encourages us to step out of our comfort zone and try opportunities we may otherwise not.
AW: The response in the undergraduate community has been great. The award is a chance to get something tangible to show for you efforts, on top of the enriching events and opportunities.
DM: What kind of challenges do you think you’ll face after graduating?
AW: AI is something that definitely worries me and a lot of my cohort. The real possibility of a future in which we are competing not just with other people but machines is scary.
SGR: Today, we need to learn a lot of specialised technical skills because AI is everywhere. The competition isn’t just human versus AI, but human versus the human
who can use AI better than everybody else. Learning to leverage these opportunities will be important.
SW: One timeless challenge after graduation is navigating big, brave life decisions. In this process, it is invaluable to reflect on and be aware of your goals and value system, which Emma Experience has helped with.
DM: Some of our careers events see Emma members return to speak with students about their professional experiences. We’re also trying to create moments for connection between postgraduate students and our community of College Research Associates. Have you found this helpful?
AW: One of the beauties of collegiate Cambridge is being part of a smaller, more engaged community, and meeting returning Emma members has been so much more valuable than the nebulous world of general networking. It’s comforting to learn about the different, non-linear paths that many have taken in their careers.
SW: At the recent Emma postgraduate symposium, we organised a career panel discussion with postdoctoral researchers, which fostered exchange between postgraduates and postdocs. Regardless of whether we plan to stay in academia or enter the job market, getting to know different perspectives and experiences helps us make informed decisions and follow them with confidence.
DM: Astrid, Stella and Soniya, thank you for a wonderful and interesting conversation about Emma Experience today.
*Originally published in the 2025 Emmanuel Review.
