Established in 2015 by College’s then Chair of Council, Charlie Taylor (Fr 1982), the Taylor Scholar program supports and encourages senior students in continuing to engage significantly and meaningfully with College life after graduating. The aim of the program is to increase the diversity and depth of the College experience.
Taylor Scholars develop and implement a new special interest project or continue and evolve an existing project, related to any aspect of College life that will benefit the College community.
Sam Wright (Fr 2019) is one of these scholars. Sam grew up in Armidale, NSW, attended The Armidale School, and is studying a Bachelor of Science with a major in Marine Science and a minor in Geography at the University of Sydney. He tells us more about the Drew’s Podcast | My Story.
Tell us a little about your Taylor Scholar project.
The Drew’s Podcast aims to inform current students and the wider St Andrew’s Community about the stories, hardships and successes of current students and alumni. The podcast this year has transitioned from interviews with current students to a more conversational style podcast with students and alumni. The hope is that this will inform students in younger years to learn a bit about their peers and alumni as well as the pathways they are choosing once they have finished their time at university.
Do you have any collaborators on the project?
There is a new person on each podcast, they come on and tell their story and we have a chat about almost everything they have done and aspire to achieve.
Why is it important to you?
This podcast is important to me as it is a great way of getting to know people that I might not have known much about, as well as learning about what they have done before College and what they are hoping to achieve after university. For me, this is a great way to learn about people’s aspirations and drive, goals they have and provide them with an opportunity to tell their stories.
What drove you towards this project in particular?
I was interviewed by Xander Hoskinson who ran the podcast last year. It was something that I have always wanted to do but didn’t have a pathway to achieve. My Taylor Scholarship has allowed me to interact with people and pursue this goal of mine.
What do you hope to achieve with it?
I hope that it can be used as a platform for current students to interact and get to know the other students at college and alumni. I hope that it can start more conversations between students, whether it be in the Dining Hall or other places around College. I also hope that with the introduction of alumni current students can learn about the pathways on post university life.
Any advice for someone thinking about applying for St Andrew’s College?
I highly recommend applying for St Andrew’s College. It is such a great place to meet new people from all aspects of life. I was fortunate enough to be involved in sport and music, and it is such a great platform to make great friends.
Take a listen to the podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jnU4ZiFViX92Iozb9t1yu?si=67meUQJ_SACZAdltK0tJCg