Emily Bolt
Emily Bolt studies Biology, Geography and PE at Hills Road. She is part of the England U17s Girl’s Roller Hockey Team which recently competed in the Euro Girls 2024 competition where they placed second.
Lilla Woodberry
About
Lilla Woodberry is a Hills Road Alumna who has recently returned to Cambridge this month to play against Cambridge University’s first team (CURUFC) on the rugby pitch. She is currently studying at Oxford University, after studying English Literature, Spanish and Drama & Theatre at Hills Road.
Our Interview with Lilla
We sat down with Lilla to see how she is getting on at university and her sporting activities!
How are you finding university life?
I’m absolutely loving university, it’s so much fun and I’ve met some of my best friends here. The Oxford workload is of course a lot. If I’m not training or at a social, I’ll be in the library! This suits me and so far, I’ve managed to keep up. It’s very much a work-hard, play-hard environment so there’s always a lot to do.
I will say that being in the rugby team has really made my uni experience what it is. If I had to advise any freshers it would be to join a society or sports team early on because it’s such a good way to meet people and make friends and get to know older students who can give you advice and help you to find your feet. My 'rugby mum’ ended up feeding me most nights, and sometimes still does!
What teams are you part of?
I’m currently playing for the OURFC Blues but looking to join some other sevens teams for the summer.
Have you got any rugby events/matches that you're looking forward to?
The Varsity rugby match is at Stone-X on 2 March, which I’m very much looking forward to.
Last year I sustained a spiral fracture to my left arm in a rugby match a few weeks before Varsity, so I missed out on a real opportunity, but it means that I’m even more geared up for this year’s game.
The match is highly anticipated and has such a thrilling competitive atmosphere with its old Oxford/Cambridge rivalry, and really great fun to be a part of. Other than that, I’m just excited to play some summer 7s that I also missed out on last year.
What do you plan to do after university?
I’m not entirely sure what I want to do after Oxford.
I never went into my degree knowing what I would do when I came out of it, which I think is normal for most students.
At the moment I’m exploring my options in the publishing industry, and also within the realm of journalism and media.
I love reading and writing articles, but also want to do a job where I get to meet interesting people and hopefully travel around a bit.
I do English and Spanish so I hope to end up in a job where I can utilise my bilingualism. Like I said I don’t have anything set in stone so at the moment, I’m just doing as much writing outside my degree as possible and seeing where that takes me.
Do you have any advice for students who are keen to take their sporting talent to the next level?
My advice would be to commit to training, you won’t get anywhere if you do anything half-heartedly. Go to extra sessions and practice wherever possible; this shouldn’t be a chore if you’re passionate. And be curious and listen to people more experienced than you because they know what they’re talking about. I’m always nagging my teammates and captain about what to do or how to be better, which may be a bit annoying for them but very helpful for me.
