1 Minute Preview: Olivia Woods (Biggest God Questions, Faith vs Religion, National Finals Public Speaker/Debator, Youth Football Captain (Turning Down Blues), First Gen State School Inequalities | Coffee's on Me, David Quan 权丁文

Coffee's on Me, David Quan 权丁文

Episode 91 of #CoffeesOnMeDavidQuan: Olivia Woods is a second-year student studying Theology at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge. To the slight frustration of her former teachers, Olivia has always had an urge to question whatever information was taught to her, potentially sparking her passion for Theology - a subject that is essentially built on asking difficult questions. Having attended Catholic school, religion has always been at the forefront of Olivia’s education and provided an abundance of opportunities for debate and conversations about faith. Whilst at school, Olivia was a prolific public speaker and Debate Club member - competing in national English Speaking Union competitions. At the age of 15, Olivia became a national finalist after winning district and regional rounds and performed at Churchill College Cambridge, having previously spoken about topics ranging from the existence of old age to the collection of personal data. As the Access Officer at Sidney, Olivia also has a keen interest in promoting the inclusiveness and accessibility of a Cambridge education. Being a first-gen student and coming from a state school, Olivia felt the disadvantages that many state school students experience and now strives to improve accessibility in all areas. When not questioning the existence of God, Olivia is a keen footballer who successfully trialled for Blues and previously captained her grassroots team, all whilst experiencing the inequalities that exist within the women’s game.
"David has the impeccable ability to stretch your ideas and opinions, but still keeping the conversation light and entertaining. There’s something so cathartic about listening and being listened to!" – Olivia Woods
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WHY? COFFEE'S ON ME, DAVID QUAN 权丁文
TL;DR: To process my emotions after a grueling campaign for President of The Cambridge Union, I reflected upon the influences of my late Grandfather and wrote him a letter: https://linktr.ee/DavidQuan . Drawing inspiration from him, I hope to learn more from others through genuine discussions – giving listeners heartfelt conversations filled with authentic insights, and giving guests legacy-worthy interviews to treasure.
To converse with someone without a strict time limit or structure – meticulously engaging in a curious process of clarifications or elaborations – is not only a rare privilege. This longer format also allows the sharing of otherwise unshared or unappreciated anecdotes. There are appeals to sound-bite media, of course, but the metrics that matter most to me are more about the uniqueness of contribution than measures of virality. Over time, I hope to be able to better deconstruct guests' fascinating experiences – to seamlessly tease out the insights for listeners to enjoy and learn from while cooking, commuting, relaxing, or walking their pet.
But this personal project is fundamentally as much about what we can learn from the guests as it is to give them (current) legacy-worthy interviews. My top priority is for guests to enjoy a unique opportunity to challenge, learn about, and be themselves; hopefully, they will be able to keep recordings of in-depth, heartfelt conversations to reflect on in years’ time.
And the best part for guests? Coffee’s on Me, David Quan 权丁文
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NOMINATE A GUEST
Please contact me to nominate someone. This would really help identify the anonymous extraordinaries！
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CONTACT ME
Having grown up in Xi'an, China, and Adelaide, Australia, I am a Double First-Class University of Cambridge Graduate (Class of 2023) and current Goldman Sachs Analyst.
Please do have the courage to say hello!
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/DavidQuan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dingwen-david-quan/