While Bermudians have typically used the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study law or medicine at Oxford University, Christie Hunter will soon become the first Bermudian Rhodes Scholar to read for a masters in Women’s Studies.

Miss Hunter, 22, is a graduate of the Bermuda High School for Girls, Saltus Grammar School and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She is the daughter of Scott Hunter and Dr. Janet Kemp.

“It was really overwhelming when I found out I had won a Rhodes Scholarship, just because it is an amazing opportunity,” Miss Hunter recently told The Royal Gazette. She is currently a human capital consultant at Deloitte & Touche, where she works in recruiting.

“At Oxford I will be studying communication in relationship to gender,” she said. “I would like to do that through women’s studies, but focusing on the corporate arena.”

She received a number of awards during her school career including Bermuda Institute of Chartered Accountants Outstanding Students’ Award in 2001 and National Teen Leadership Award. She was a Bermuda Government Scholar and was the recipient of the Fessenden Trott Academic Scholarship.

Miss Hunter said her interest in women’s studies was partly helped along by several internships she did while an undergraduate student at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

“I volunteered at the Human Rights Commission in Rhode Island,” Miss Hunter said. “I looked at discrimination cases. I also volunteered on the campaign of Jennifer Lawless who was running for Congress in Rhode Island. There were gender issues there. It was interesting just looking at the adversity she faced as a female candidate.”

Miss Hunter said Miss Lawless did not get into congress, which Miss Hunter partly attributed to the fact that America is currently in a militaristic mode.

“During a time of war, America is military focused, and there is that attitude that a woman can’t handle those issues,” said Miss Hunter. “There is this idea that maybe they can just handle domestic issues.”

During another internship at Brown University, Miss Hunter designed and initiated a sex education class for a high school class in Rhode Island. The class looked at issues beyond the typical sex education.

“That was interesting as well,” she said. “We looked at how the media influences images, what is attractive and how we should carry ourselves.”

She thought that gender issues were of importance in Bermuda, but they were mixed up with a lot of other issues.

“There are a lot of issues on the table here,” she said. “There is race, gender, and prejudice against different groups of people because people create the sense of difference and cling to that. Gender issues are part of many battles that we are currently going through.”

Miss Hunter said she hasn’t really been in a position yet to see if there is still a glass ceiling for women in business in Bermuda.

“In the corporate world I am in an entry level position so I am not in a very good place to know if there is a glass ceiling for women,” she said. “I have read a lot about how women in the corporate world are commonly paid less than men in the same position. Why is that? I find it interesting. I am not sure. There are so many different variables. Is it because they take time off for their kids, or that they don’t negotiate for higher salaries?”

She does not yet have a specific thesis topic, but she knows that it will be looking at how gender influences communication effectiveness on the business front.

“I took a persuasive communication class in college and it talked a lot about the things that women do, and why they aren’t as effective in communicating,” she said. “Of course, that is not all the time, just in certain situations. It was really fascinating and increases your awareness of messages you give and how gender influences communication.

“I haven’t really started researching this to make a statement on it. But from what I learned in this class there are subliminal body messages, wording and voice usage.”

Miss Hunter is no stranger to persuasive communication. She was heavily involved in competitive debate as a youngster. As a member of the National Debate team she represented Bermuda in the World Schools Debating Championship in the United States in 2000, in South Africa in 2001 and in Singapore in 2002.

“Jacqueline Riordan at the Bermuda High School for Girls was fundamental in helping me get involved in public speaking and debate at the age of 12,” said Miss Hunter. “Then at Brown University in Rhode Island my major was political science but I started looking at gender issues to do with human rights and sexuality. Those two passions of Women’s Studies and communication came together.”

Miss Hunter is still involved in debate, and is a member of the Bermuda Debate Society. In October, she helped to organise a student open house to get more young people interested in debate.

“I recently was a judge at the World Schools Debating Championships in Wales,” said Miss Hunter. “It was interesting for me to be on the other side of debating. Being a judge was just as nerve wracking as being a competitor. It was hard, but really interesting.”

Miss Hunter considered going into law, but eventually decided it wasn’t for her, at least not at this time.

“It seemed the natural path for me because I had done debating and political science,” she said. “I love those kinds of issues and persuasive communication. It seemed all to be pointing me in that direction. It wasn’t a decision I made quickly. I went and looked at law schools. I did research. I travelled to England to look at their system. I looked at law in the United States. I made a decision at the time that that wasn’t the path that I wanted to follow.

“However, I always keep all doors open, because I think in life you never know. I don’t want to have a one track mind about what I am going to do.

“For now I like the corporate environment. I don’t know yet whether I want to go into politics. I love it. I read about it, and I obviously studied it for four years. I guess I will have to see. I just want to be able to feel that whatever I do I can bring something to the table.”

A valuable skill set. I find that right now I have a lot of view points, but as I get older with my education and furthering my education, and furthering my specialisations I will have more to bring.

Miss Hunter will attend Keble College, Oxford University for nine months. She doesn’t plan to continue with recruiting but she wants to stay in the corporate arena.

“I am interested in doing external consulting,” she said.

According to the Rhodes Scholarship Bermuda website, the scholarship was begun in 1902 by Cecil John Rhodes with the aim of bringing students from the English speaking world to Oxford University to increase understanding and tolerance among nations. The idea was that these students would return to their home countries and, with the benefit of their education at Oxford, be valuable and contributing participants in their country’s affairs.

Each year around 100 scholarships are handed out to students in various countries. Bermuda receives one.

Students are picked for literary and scholastic achievement, athletic participation, character and leadership. The selection committee also pays particular attention to extra curricular activities, in sport and in the community, as well as to a candidate’s leadership characteristics.

It is interesting to note that although the scholarship to attend Oxford University was first offered to Bermudians in 1903, Bermudian women have only been receiving it since 1987, when Emma Robinson became the island’s first female Rhodes Scholar.