Two Richmond alums were all smiles this November as they celebrated a shared accomplishment — earning a master’s degree from the University of Oxford.

As Ally Osterberg and Benjamin Weiser planned for graduation in 2022, the Jepson School of Leadership Studies named them Jepson Scholars, an honor that comes with all-expenses-paid scholarships for one-year master’s programs at the renowned U.K. university.

Osterberg, who majored in leadership studies and Latin American, Latino, and Iberian studies at Richmond, earned a Master of Science in Latin American Studies at Oxford. Her master’s dissertation explored the historic causes of food insecurity and malnutrition in Guatemala.

“This research led me to want to explore more from a public health lens,” Osterberg said. After completing her studies, she started working in London as a junior consultant at Kaleidoscope Health and Care, a nonprofit social-enterprise consultancy with a health care focus. In this role, she travels throughout the U.K., facilitating events that bring together diverse voices to tackle a range of public health concerns.

“I’m always learning something new about public health issues — from clinician burnout, to hospital strategy failure, to organizational development, to the health impacts of frailty and hunger,” she said. “It’s been so interesting to take a deep dive into a health system that is so different from the one I grew up with.”

Weiser, who majored in leadership studies and political science at Richmond, earned a Master in Public Policy from Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. He completed his required master’s summer project with Drexel University’s Nowak Metro Finance Lab in Philadelphia. The lab helps cities develop strategies to fund public infrastructure projects, with a focus on supporting inclusive and equitable growth. Since his Oxford graduation, Weiser has worked at the lab as a graduate research analyst.

One of his job duties involves crafting public-good case stories on infrastructure projects funded by the government, which can offer insights to other cities looking to adopt similar measures.

“My Jepson education aids me in understanding how local leaders are guiding their communities to build support for and execute these projects,” Weiser said, “while my Oxford education allows me to provide a more technical analysis of specific projects and make recommendations for replicating infrastructure projects.”

Both Jepson Scholars described their graduate school experience as life-changing and expressed their gratitude to the Jepson School for making it possible.

“The single greatest lesson I learned from Oxford is that knowledge matters only if you use it,”  Osterberg said, “and the importance of how you use your knowledge cannot be overstated.”