Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Presidential Fellow Sophia Mughal ’25 describes one of her earliest memories as a feeling she didn’t yet have the words to name. It was pride.

Her father had been deployed to Pakistan to support humanitarian relief efforts following a devastating earthquake. Years later, she found the words to express that feeling to classmates. “I would almost brag about it: ‘My dad helped little children in the earthquake!’”

This fall, Mughal will carry interests shaped by her parents’ humanitarian work and her HWS studies in political science and religious studies into a two-year Master of Philosophy in International Relations at the University of Oxford.

Now it’s her parents’ turn to brag. “Especially for a South Asian parent,” she says, “Oxford is, like, the pinnacle.”

Mughal won’t be the only HWS alum there. Andrew Painton ’25 and Florence Rodman Stout '24 will also be attending.

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Andrew Painton ’25
A biology major, Painton has been working as a substitute teacher at Webster Schroeder High, his high school in Webster, N.Y. At Oxford, he has been accepted to the Master of Science in Biodiversity, Conservation and Nature Recovery program.

A road trip last summer with five fellow graduating members of the Hobart rowing team proved unexpectedly pivotal for him.

“Being able to visit 15 national parks shortly after graduating helped me decide on pursuing a career in wildlife conservation.”

Painton says Oxford’s program stood out for its blend of hands-on scientific research, which he gained a background in while at HWS, and environmental policy — an area he wants to strengthen to become an effective conservation biologist.

Florence Rodman Stout ’24
After graduating in June from a two-year clinical psychology fellowship through McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts, Stout will enter Oxford’s Master of Science in Education (International & Comparative) program.

The experience, she says, helped her think more deeply about how systems either come together to meet children’s needs — or don’t. “I saw firsthand that systems of support for young children are often under-resourced and in need of change to provide the most effective and meaningful support,” Stout says.

A desire to fill those gaps catalyzed Stout’s search for a master's program that could combine education research and international awareness with peacebuilding as the framework and ultimate goal.

Stout says her interests unfolded at HWS, where she double majored in psychological science and religious studies. “These two fields have come together for me in the form of a deep interest in peace studies,” Stout says. “Most specifically, I hope to study the ways resilience and compassion can be built into a psychological foundation for children through thoughtful educational resources.”

For Mughal, Oxford is the next step in a path toward foreign policy, paved during her four years at HWS.

A congressional internship introduced her to hearings of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, where discussions about humanitarian crises reinforced her interest in international affairs.

“I think that moment cemented it for me that I was interested in humanitarian and human rights issues and foreign policy. I was able to sit in on a hearing related to ethnic Armenians in disputed territory, and it really spoke to me that I wanted to have a career in global affairs. I wanted to, as best I could, make an impact in that realm,” she says.

Religious studies courses opened another avenue of inquiry, leading her to examine how collective memory shapes governments, societies and foreign policy decisions. She hopes to continue exploring those questions through research — one of her passions.

For her development as a scholar, she credits many mentors, including Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies Michael Dobkowski, Professor of Religious Studies Richard Salter, Assistant Professor of Politics Ed Quish as well as the Honors Program for introducing her to the kind of close faculty mentorship and independent research that characterize Oxford's tutorial system. 

Separately, Mughal and Painton visited Oxford in May. The university is spread throughout the city, which Painton describes as rich in medieval architecture. “I was really shocked by the style and ages of the buildings around the university as well as the depth of history around me,” he says.

The academic program includes university members from across multiple colleges, he explains. “This collegiate structure, with coexisting colleges under a larger institution, is unique to Oxford and Cambridge, although it is similar to Hobart and William Smith's dynamic,” he adds.

Oxford serves as the organization’s central body, responsible for granting degrees and managing academic programs, while student housing, dining and social events are assigned to one of its more than 30 colleges, Painton explains.

Mughal’s is assigned to Balliol College, while Stout and Painton are assigned to Oriel College.

In May, Dame Louise Richardson’s visit to HWS as commencement speaker was a remarkable coincidence for Mughal, who works in the President’s Office as a Presidential Fellow. Richardson served as Oxford’s vice chancellor from 2016 to 2022, the first woman to hold the position.

Mughal leaves for England next month, now with multiple Oxford connections: Painton, Stout — and Richardson.

“It was great to meet her,” Mughal says. “She was very kind and she even offered that if I had any questions, she'd be happy to be in contact.”

Top: An aerial view of the University of Oxford