Santiago Bengoechea

Graduate Access Awards

Joining us from: Argentina

MSc Law and Finance (2020)

My journey to Oxford began on the other side of the Atlantic, a long way down to the South in Rosario, Argentina, where I was born, raised and where I have also lived amazing memories and met even more incredible people. Back home, I became a lawyer while also committing since an early age to address several social challenges, ranging from education to activities to overcome poverty and inequality. This passion coexisted with my keen interest in economics and the financial dynamics of our ever-changing world.

With time, I came to strongly believe that development and economic growth are the keys to address the greatest problems faced by societies. Therefore, it is not a coincidence that my interests and life goals move towards the convergence between law and finance. Eventually, my professional experiences started to gravitate around this point. That is why I undertook an LLM in Business Law in my home country while working at a leading law firm in the Corporate and Financial Services department. Before this, I had a wide myriad of experiences as a legal assistant locally and abroad in Spain and Switzerland. However, with a strong legal background, the technical financial component was still missing and to be truthful to my personal goals and move a step forward from the mere legal field, a final move was needed. An MSc in Law and Finance at the University of Oxford was not only the natural and logical step but was also a much sought-after dream which thanks to the generous and invaluable assistance of St Cross became true.

There is no doubt that each day spent in such a vibrant and out-of-the-world place as Oxford is a life-changer (definitely boosted by the warm and diverse environment that defines St Cross)! Learning in this cradle of knowledge and having the opportunity to get to know and interact with the world's brightest minds is simply priceless. Moreover, as a student that has greatly benefited from this challenging and simultaneously rewarding environment, I can now affirm that it greatly enhances the chances of leading positive change and, hopefully, give back to society with a multiplying effect.

More importantly, it is in this chain of extraordinary people and institutions collaborating to achieve substantial goals that go way beyond themselves where our dear College shines the most by enabling students to pursue their dreams through its considerate assistance and constant support, and with them, those of the society as a whole. Now that it is my time to leave this wonderful House greatly enriched and keep on going with this quest, I can do anything but remain forever grateful to St Cross!