Luckystar Miyandazi
Field Court Tax Chambers
Name: Luckystar Miyandazi
College: St Hugh's College
Scholarship: Field Court Tax Chambers, Msc in Taxation
What are your career ambitions?
I aspire to be an authority in taxation policy making and research. Specially, I would like to continue providing support to African countries in their efforts towards improving national tax systems and building necessary capacities to negotiate on international tax rules.
What do you enjoy most about studying law in Oxford?
The diversity of students in the class that allows for sharing different experiences, perspectives and engaging in debates on “hot tax topics”. The MSc in Taxation not only covers matters of the law, but also incorporates core elements of economics. It is taught by leading academics and practitioners, who challenge us to think through the topics and critically deconstruct them rather than just absorb teachings and reading materials. The course and faculty create a learning environment in which, we, as students, get to question, compare, analyse and come up with our own positions on the various topics of study. The remote access to Bodleian Libraries, journals, articles and other quality texts even when not on university grounds is a huge advantage for part-time students.
What do you find most challenging about your programme?
The extra effort and dedication needed to juggle competing priorities of studying and working. Especially because this is not a long-distance course and thus involves on campus attendance at specific times in Oxford. Also, meeting the course requirements like essay deadlines, and pre-readings of the course and other materials is a challenging task, everything considered.
What do you find most rewarding about your programme?
It’s a very specific programme that focuses on contemporary issues in taxation and allows me to reflect on tax policies, concepts, case law etc. This makes it beneficial to both academics and practitioners.
The quality and experience of faculty teaching the course, is exceptional and it’s a pleasure to be able to interact and discuss with them as they are very open to diverse points of view.
The Oxford atmosphere is straight out of a novel and is definitely a breath of fresh air and a calm place to study.
Are you involved with any projects or societies?
Yes, I joined the Oxford University Africa Society (AfriSoc) and have attended some of their events.
What advice would you give to a new or prospective student?
Go for it, whatever “it” is and believe in yourself and your unique abilities! It’s definitely worth applying. Then be ready to put in the work - I mean, you learn and unlearn a lot of things. There’s a lot of information to cover and read and so mental preparation is key. You will have the time of your life and meet incredible people, so definitely worth the general intellectual investment.