Sarah Fang - 2021

As an undergraduate student, I lived in the suburbs and spent a lot of time travelling up to 2 hrs a day attending classes at Uni. After speaking to a friend who was residing at one of the University colleges at the time, I came to realise and see for myself, what college life was all about. I found college life appealing, so I started doing my own research in looking for accommodation in a college setting.

One of the reasons that Medley appealed to me is that the College has two separate buildings; one for undergraduate and one for postgraduate students. I booked a tour of Medley with Effie (the Business Manager) and found her to be very friendly and knowledgeable about the place. The fact that Medley has a strong sustainable ethic and offering vegetarian options also appealed to me as I am vegetarian myself. The food at Medley has exposed me to many new cuisines and gave me a taste for new foods. I especially love the eggplant parma!

The support from the Cybec Foundation has enhanced my opportunities.  Living at Medley Hall has been a strength for when applying for research projects at other colleges, as I have a lot of knowledge on college life and experience.

Medley Hall for me has offered a great sense of community and support as there is always someone to help you if you need it. I had an accident in the kitchen a while ago and I was able to message one of the residents and immediately received assistance. There is a strong sense of connection between residents here as there are like-minded people; discussing academic related topics and we continuously learn from each other with interesting topical discussion and debate.

I am also involved with the garden at Cydelia House which gives me immense pleasure as I get to be outdoors. I was chatting with another resident about starting my own plant garden and then started working on the garden beds outside with the other residents. There is a roster during the summer for watering the plants and being involved and interacting with the other residents, I get to not only enjoy their company and gardening knowledge, but also the responsibilities that come with working in a small gardening team.

I think I bring a sense of knowledge and experience about working in the art world to the Medley community. I have extensive experience in this field and I feel many of the residents who are currently studying the Arts/Fine Arts benefit through informal collaboration that takes place both at Cydelia House  and at Medley and through peer discussion and debate.

Medley in 3 words: Community, Support and Growth.