This past summer, for the first time, Temple University had the opportunity to take part in the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights. Hosted at the historic University of Oxford in Oxford, England, the conference annually brings together participants from over 30 universities across the globe to take part in five days of presentations, conversations and debates on the future of human rights issues. Established in 2012, the conference is dedicated to creating pipelines for underrepresented student bodies to have their seat at the table. 

We spoke with senior Jasmine Mehta and Andreas Carleton, who graduated in the spring of 2026. The pair, both dual political science and philosophy majors, told us about their experience at the conference, their presentation on Philadelphia’s literary crisis and what they took away from their time at Oxford. 

(We would also like to recognize and congratulate senior history and economics major Maddie DePiano, who also presented at Oxford with Jasmine and Andreas!)

For you, what made the Oxford Consortium such a prestigious opportunity?

Andreas: This is the first time Temple has had the opportunity to be part of the Oxford Consortium, so that was kind of a big deal for the department, for the College of Liberal Arts, and for Temple as a whole. Of course, there’s the opportunity itself: it's a week-long, your flight's paid for, and you're going to a highly engaging conference on a different continent. It felt like this mythical thing that everyone, at least in the philosophy department, was talking about and excited for. 

Jasmine: It was Temple's first time being selected to participate in the consortium, so pioneering this was such an amazing opportunity. As philosophy majors, we're always looking to participate in philosophy conferences, and this being abroad and at Oxford was an especially big deal. It was also focused on human rights, and in this political climate, I think talking about human rights is an extremely important venture, something everyone should be doing. So I think it was a mix of everything—Temple participating for the first time, getting selected through a rigorous process, and then on top of that, a five-day conference where we talked about such illuminating topics. 

How did the opportunity come about, and what was the application process like?

Andreas: My professor, Lee-Ann Chae, announced it to the class one day. After that, I started seeing posters all around the College of Liberal Arts. Pretty quickly, everyone I was around was talking about it.

Jasmine: There was a post on Temple’s philosophy Canvas page saying that there’s this opportunity with the consortium, and everyone's encouraged to apply, including philosophy majors. The application asked for the courses you've taken that could apply to this consortium—for example, any philosophy courses focused on ethics, AI, human rights, policy—and a brief statement of interest as to why you think you're a good candidate for this program and what experiences you can bring to make the consortium a great experience for everyone else.

Had you traveled abroad much before this?

Jasmine: I studied abroad in Japan my sophomore year and continue to travel with my family over breaks. Going to Oxford was such a cool process—the flights, meeting new people on the bus ride, and then staying in the Oxford dorms. My room was actually right outside the church, so I'd hear the church bells and just think,  “This is crazy. I can't believe I'm here.” I got to immerse myself in the local experience. I tried new bookstores, libraries and cafes, and went on a few tours. It was pretty cool.

Andreas: I’d never been to the UK at all. I’d only been to Europe once before, in Madrid, for about three days. It was an opportunity to fly out of the country, which I'm not often able to do. It both gives you confidence about your own academic status—okay, you think I'm valuable enough that you want me here and you’ll pay for my flight—and it's also an opportunity to immerse yourself in another culture, which I think is always valuable.

What was your presentation about? What was the preparation like? 

Jasmine: We had check-ins with our faculty advisor, Lee-Ann Chae, throughout the months leading up to the conference. First, we had to choose an issue that was pertinent to our local community. We chose to focus on literacy rates in Philadelphia. Then, we chose a local changemaker—someone who's working towards making a change on that specific crisis. We chose Treehouse Books. We did some research into the crisis, including looking at it from a historical perspective, an economic perspective, politically and socially, and then dove into how Treehouse Books is trying to address the problem. For instance, they have a program called Books on Wheels, where they deliver books to houses, which increases accessibility to literature. 

Andreas: Everyone has a favorable opinion of Treehouse Books, and we wanted to share that with this broader group at Oxford. You have this idea and familiarity with your own topic going in, and then everything you hear throughout the conference ends up impacting your approach to your own presentation.

What was the conference itself like—any standout memories?

Jasmine: One thing that really stood out about my trip is the number of people I met from schools across America—Texas, Mississippi, California, Georgia—so many states where I didn’t have friends, but now I do. They all grew up in different environments, their college campuses are all different from Temple's, and meeting them and talking about subjects we all had in common is what really made it memorable for me. Everyone was so friendly and knowledgeable.

Andreas: I don't think I really understood the magnitude of the opportunity until the first talk started. Being around such a high level of conversation was something I've been looking for academically for a long time. There was a panel on militarism and technology that stood out ("War and New Technology" by Daniel Brunstetter [UC Irvine] and David Danks [University of Virginia]). It was really interesting to see the way they interacted with us and the way they took us seriously as thinkers. They had some fundamental disagreements with one another on the way artificial intelligence should be used in warfare, and the extent to which it can make ethical decisions for us. It was interesting to see that come out—that was both exactly what I loved doing in school, and representative of how the conference worked in general

Later, we ran into those two professors again, and we had this hour-long conversation about it. They were just so genuinely invested in what we had to say. Sometimes when you talk to people in academia, you feel like you have to temper yourself, or you can feel nervous around them, and here, that completely disappeared the entire week.

How did the presentation go?

Jasmine: It was nerve-wracking at first because we saw all these amazing people delivering such cool presentations, but I think we became more comfortable with presenting throughout the week. The faculty and organizers made it a seamless and encouraging experience. We spent a lot of time preparing, and we had a fantastic time presenting—it went well.

Andreas: The organizers and faculty really don't go light on you at all. They presume a decent amount of knowledge and an ability to think deeply, and give such rich presentations. That really stuck with me, and gave us a feeling of motivation that led into the student presentations as well. The preparation and presentation itself was really fulfilling, and it reminded us why we all wanted to be there in the first place.

How does the consortium experience support the work you hope to do going forward? 

Jasmine: During my undergraduate career, I did an internship at HIAS, and then an internship at an immigration-focused law firm. Throughout, I've developed such an intense passion for human rights and advocating for people. As I graduate this fall, I want to continue pursuing that passion. I'm planning on going to law school, and I want to eventually go into immigration law. I think the conference gave me a stronger background for integrating a legal career with public service. 

Andreas: It gave me motivation and confidence in myself, and it showed me new ways of thinking about academic work. I think being accepted and treated like an equal in that setting makes you feel like it’s something you can do professionally. Growing up lower-income in Philadelphia, and also as a Black person, there are times when you feel either implicitly or very obviously excluded from certain things. [At the consortium,] that feeling disappeared, and it carries into the work I’m doing now. I’m currently preparing my application for grad school, and I have more confidence in my ability.