A-levels: Chemistry, Maths, Psychology, Extended Project Qualification
My time at Friesland feels a long time ago (it was!) and I have definitely not been on a linear trajectory since. During my A-levels, I knew I wanted to go to university, but I had no idea what I’d like to study (and that’s definitely okay!). I loved Medical Science, but was far too squeamish to study Medicine and there were so many degree subjects to choose from. The first year I applied to university, I just missed out on the grades I needed. Whilst it felt like the world was ending at the time, this additional year allowed me to vastly improve my A-level grades (which resulted in a scholarship off my fees), earn some money from a part-time job, learn to drive and gain a lot of self-confidence. The teachers at Friesland pushed me to use the year to my advantage and I later went to university much better prepared. I successfully gained a place at the University of Leicester, to study Medical Biochemistry.
During my undergraduate degree, I decided to spend a year abroad working in a lab. I went off to Heidelberg, a beautiful city in Germany. Moving to a new country was daunting, but it was the best experience and I now have great friends scattered around the world. Returning to my final year of university, I had a year of independent lab experience under my belt, which meant I could get stuck into my final year lab project. As a result, I was offered a PhD position in the same lab, where I studied meiosis in crops to improve food security. My project involved a lot of microscope work and was jointly supervised by a plant breeding company. I was able to spend three months in Germany at their company, to gain some industry experience, improve my presentation skills and try once again to improve my German language. During my PhD I had the opportunity to present my research around the world, a highlight being at a conference in San Diego, California (which my 17 year old self would never have believed).
I completed my PhD during the pandemic, then worked in a neuroscience lab (investigating age-related and noise-induced hearing loss in locusts) on a short-term contract during lockdown. During my PhD I loved to engage in outreach activities, presenting my research in schools and trying to inspire the next generation of scientists. This was something I really missed during the pandemic, so I started to look into moving to more of an outreach position permanently. In my current role as Academic Liaison Officer, I lead on a STEM progression programme for sixth form students from Widening Participation backgrounds, to support and encourage them with their next steps. This means I get to organise lots of fun STEM practical activities for the students, as well as providing our academics at the university with the tools to design activities for students around their research. I love the varied nature of my role and enjoy having the freedom to plan my own projects, whilst still being predominantly science focussed.
