ESS 2025 – A summer to remember
As the Essex Summer School comes to a close for 2025, I reflect on my time here as an Admin Assistant with positive nostalgia – meeting students from all over the world, helping to make their welcome experience as smooth and comfortable as possible, and of course, being part of the ESS 2025 Summer School team were all outstanding highlights for me. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to meet so many people from different backgrounds and to have played a part in their Summer School journey.
We made sure to provide the students with extra brain power each morning, catering to a variety of different taste buds. From Greek and vegan yoghurts, granola and gluten-free alternatives, to pastries, muffins, and cereal bars, we hope that each and every one of the in-person students was able to make the most of a hearty breakfast each morning as part of their learning experience. And, of course, we couldn’t leave them without their caffeine fix, so we always made sure we had plenty of coffee to go around. The choice of decaf, instant, coffee pods, and a variety of teas meant no one was left empty-handed in the mornings or throughout the day. I think the ESS team can all agree we observed the students’ Essex Summer School cups being put to good use!
The past few weeks have been a great way for me to witness first-hand how highly respected the Summer School is, and it has been inspiring to see how far people are willing to travel to receive world-class mentorship from a dedicated group of renowned doctors, professors, and teaching assistants. Of course, the very fact that this is the Summer School’s 58th year is a great testament to how reputable it is.
As someone who completed their undergraduate degree at the University of Essex, I feel a sense of pride that such a successful and international annual Summer School is at the heart of the University where I had some of the best years of my life.
Thank you to all the instructors for being so helpful and kind, both to the students and to the team. And thank you to all the students for keeping us on our toes and making it a fun experience for us all. This role has been a great kickstart to my summer, and I will look back fondly on all the shared giggles between us as a team, instructors, and students!
By Beth Williams, Admin Assistant
