College News

Wolfson Students & the Entrepreneurship Society
The MSt student who survived war and loss to study at Cambridge
Alasan is studying at Judge Business School for an MSt in Entrepreneurship. He is also the founder of two businesses and is the incoming President of the Wolfson Entrepreneurship Society. (You can read about this year's competition here)

But just six years ago, after suffering significant injuries in Afghanistan, and following painful losses in his personal life, Alasan “was contemplating whether life is worth living”. Changing his mindset, he says, was one of the greatest accomplishments of his life.

Alasan was born and raised in The Gambia, but moved to the UK as a teenager. He had always been fascinated with the military, and so in 2007, when he was only 17, he joined the British Army... Read more

Alumni & Networks

Member of the Month
Akram Shalabi (m.2009)

How did you come to study at Wolfson? 
I applied to Wolfson because I liked the ethos, mature and multicultural community, and the age of the college - traditionally modern.

How have your studies at Wolfson helped you in your career?
My studies and the academic challenge at Wolfson pushed me out of my comfort zone. The experience of working and living with a diverse and multicultural group of people helped me develop a more in-depth understanding of... Read more

Music News

Lent Term Concert & Choir Reunion
Sunday 19 March
After a busy Christmas season of carols and concerts, the Wolfson Music Society is working towards a major event on Sunday 19 March at 5pm at St Mark’s Church Newnham. It will mark thirty years since our Director of Music, Lyn Alcántara, started conducting the College Choir and we will be holding a Choir Reunion and concert, performing John Rutter’s ever-popular Gloria, accompanied by local group, Prime Brass. The current College Choir will also perform choral favourites. We do hope you can join us to celebrate, either in the choir or the audience!
Choir Alumni will be sent further information soon, or you can contact musicassistant@wolfson.cam.ac.uk if you don’t receive an email.

Lyn says: "I can’t believe I’ve been conducting Wolfson Choir for thirty years! Where has the time gone? The choir has grown in size from a small ensemble of ten or so singers to the forty singers we have today, and I have had the pleasure of working with hundreds of you.
Choir highlights have included tours to Lyon, Austria, Rome, Greece, France & Hungary, performing in Ely Cathedral and the Royal Albert Hall, and providing congregational singing for Songs of Praise. We have sung at choir weddings, christenings, birthdays, and sadly at a few funerals too. We even held rehearsals on Zoom and then sang in masks in the Lee Hall during COVID’s various restrictions. Monday nights have been a really special part of my life since moving to the UK, with so many choir members becoming life-long friends."

Music Events Coming Up
There will be a talk on 31 January, in collaboration with the Humanities Society, entitled, 'The Making of Jamaica’s "First Composer": Rethinking Samuel Felsted (1743-1802)'. Speaker, PhD music student Wayne Weaver.

Other events include the termly College Service on 7 February,  as well as Jazz and Madeira on 17 February, and several lunchtime concerts.

Sustainability News

Wolfson's May Ball ranked as one of the most sustainable

The Wolfson May Ball team placed third among all Cambridge colleges in the latest Cambridge Sustain-a-Ball ranking – thanks to a host of new sustainability innovations at its fairytale-themed 2022 event.

The Sustain-a-Ball Project assesses each college May Ball across eight categories, from carbon reduction to social accessibility; allocating awards for the most sustainable events in the year.  As in previous years, the... Read more

Sport News

Rowing
by David O'Loughlin, Men's Captain
It’s going to be an exceptionally exciting few weeks for Wolfson rowers this term. Returning from Wolfson’s first ever international rowing camp in Figueira da Foz, Portugal, both the men’s and women's sides have a head start on Bumps. Three crews traveled out to the purpose-built 2km rowing course; senior men, senior women, and a “development” boat made up of novice rowers who learnt to row before Christmas. We spent four days under the Portuguese sun and it proved to be a massive success. The focused time on the water was not only hugely beneficial for our rowers and coxes technically, but it also gave us the opportunity to bond as teams and as a club. We hope it to be the first of many!

With the selection made, our crews are looking ahead to the Lent Bumps. Two men’s and two women’s crews are set to compete. While M1 and W1 are guaranteed their spots, W2 and M2 will have to compete in the Getting On Race in March to secure their place in Bumps.

All four crews are competing in the Newnham head on Saturday 4th of February, and the Pembroke Regatta two weeks later. Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram for updates in the lead-up to Bumps.
The momentum is starting to build around College. Watch this space!