Meet the student staff
Yep. Seven of us are employed just to look after you. We’re all yours. Keep us busy by getting us to help you in any way we can. You can find us at any of the services on Sundays or get in touch with us by e-mail or phone. Take some time out to read our biogs. We’re embarrassed by them anyway...
Brian Elfick
Students’ pastor
Tel. 518352
Brian is into his sixth year in Cambridge, which is long enough to be able to ask for the ‘usual’ at his local. He loves climbing and jazz, so Cambridge is an . . . er . . . obvious place to live. Previous homes have been Sydney, the Duke of Buckingham’s house, and New York. His claim to fame is captaining both sides in Varsity Matches. Listing golf and gardening as his hobbies, Brian is not cool.
Kath Rothman
Associate pastor (Students)
Tel. 508402
Kath has spent much of the past five years reducing teenage boys to tears since up until this year she was teaching science at a secondary school just outside Bristol. She loves cooking but if you are a vegetarian do be wary before accepting a dinner invitation since her grated carrot and pesto lasagne is now infamous. As a Bristol chemistry graduate she is looking forward to learning the intricacies of student life in Cambridge, the first person to explain what ‘full term’ is wins a piece of her favourite dessert, lemon drizzle cake.
Stephen Boon
Student worker
Tel. 518297
Stephen studied both physics and philosophy as an undergraduate at Cambridge, which means he should in theory know pretty much everything there is to know. The briefest of conversations with him will demonstrate that this is not the case. Despite what some consider a striking resemblance, Stephen insists that he is in no way related to Mr Bean. He enjoys reading thick books, and playing football, badminton, the piano and the fool.
Andy Buchan
Student worker
Tel. 518218
Andrew describes himself as a roving Scot, although judging by his accent ”roving“ might not quite cover it. Like many ex-philosophers he reads too much. Like many ex-rugby players he also eats too much. Having come directly from a five year stretch in Oxford he is looking forward to a breath of fresh Fenland air and some intelligent conversation. There is never any need to ask—Andrew would always like a cup of tea.
Dave Howarth
Student worker
Tel. 518297
Having grown up near Cambridge, Dave is officially a ‘towney’ and is yet to get his head around Cambridge Uni lingo. Nevertheless, he was a punting chauffeur for five years, so knows many semi-interesting semi-truths about the river colleges and their bridges. At university Dave read music, which he adores; he plays sax and clarinet in a funk band named Bijoumiyo. He’s also keen on racket sports, hockey, football, high-brow arthouse film and ice cream.
Tessa Smith
Student worker
Tel. 518218
Tess is new to Cambrige and is still wandering around open-mouthed at its beauty. She spent the last 2 years as an Apprentice at a church in Wimbledon and, before that, was a Montessori (not multi-storey) nursery teacher. She loves travel, sport, animals and having adventures and will happily ramble on about the time a monkey slept at the bottom of her sleeping bag or when she was slapped on the leg by a gorilla and why she proudly sports a scar given to her by a lion.
Meera Srinivasan
Student worker
Tel. 518218
Meera did three years of medicine at Cambridge but experiencing the NHS first-hand when she dropped a bench on her foot caused her to halt her medical career and head to Thailand. She spent a year teaching English and the Bible in a refugee school on the Thai/Myanmar border and learning to eat all kinds of strange and wonderful things. She then headed to London where she worked for a large Anglican church and moved a lot of chairs and tables (thankfully without repeating her bench experience). Eventually she felt the coffee shops of Cambridge calling her and has come back to join the team at St Andrew the Great.