Shiplake College News

In today's 'A Conversation With...' feature, we chat to Miss Agustina Magarinos Rodriguez, who joined us at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year. Miss Magarinos Rodriguez is one of our Teachers of Physics but today's chat not only delves into her love for astronomy, but also her passion for handball! 

What is your role and how long have you been working at Shiplake? 

I am a Teacher of Physics, and I started working at Shiplake in September 2024. 

What were you doing before working at Shiplake? 

Before joining Shiplake, I worked at two other schools in Oxfordshire and before that, I was completing my master's thesis at university studying the evolution and detection of stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. 

Your background is in Astronomy, Space Science and Astrophysics - why did you choose that branch of physics? 

This is a little cliché but ever since I was little, I was fascinated by space. I got my hands on all kinds of books and magazines that would talk about space since it was not a big topic at school. Learning about how the universe works, what is out there, how massive celestial objects interact - it was all I wanted to do. When I was looking at university degrees during my last year of school, I could not quite find something that sounded exciting, or I that actually wanted to learn more about until I came across this one course here in England that made me feel so excited to learn again! I knew I enjoyed physics and mathematics at school and that I loved all things space, so I wanted to do something I would enjoy at university which is what I did. 

What is a day in the life like for you? 

Normally, I wake up very early to take my puppy out - it is annoying waking up earlier than I need to, but he is so cute that it is worth it! I will then pack my things and get to my classroom for a day full of teaching, seeing students from all year groups and trying to get them to enjoy the subject (because physics is the best subject, of course!). If I have some free time, I will take my puppy out for a walk during the day or do some training with him. If not, he will wait until after school. I like to spend my evenings relaxing at home - teaching and raising a puppy takes so much more effort than one might think! I would usually catch up with my family back home, read a book, or watch some TV shows before putting the puppy to bed. 

Is it true that you used to be a Premier League handball player? How did you get into that, and do you still play? 

It is true, I played for a team based in Kent while I was at university alongside playing for my university team. Handball is a really big sport in Spain, where I grew up, and I had played it for about 8 years by the time I came to England. I thought moving to university would be the end of that sport, as I knew it is not as big here, but I was so wrong! At university, I met the loveliest handball team that made want to train hard every week, and I also met the coach of the team I ended up playing in the Premier League with. It was really hard work and a lot of commitment - juggling tough training sessions and university classes and coursework - but I was determined to make it work and I learned to manage my time to fit it all in. 

What do you do in your free time? 

In my free time I like to catch up with people I may have not seen for a while. Whether that means travelling somewhere to see them or arranging a video call, we make it work. I do also enjoy exploring cities and towns around me - having not lived in the UK for long, I still have so much to explore! Another thing I am trying is learning how to play the acoustic guitar. I have a deep love for learning, and I will regularly pick a skill I would like to have and try to learn it. 

What does the future hold for you? 

I am not too sure what I will do in the future, but what I do know is that I would like to travel. Having family all over the world gives me a great opportunity to travel and to see them, but I want to also take more time to travel to places around them and see more of the world. I also might think about getting back into observational astronomy - Shiplake College has a couple of great telescopes that need to be put to use!