¹û¶³Ó°Ôº

What are you studying, why are you interested in this subject and what do you plan to do in the future?

I'm in my fourth year studying BASc Arts and Sciences, majoring in Health & Environment and minoring in Societies - I often joke about how this is the degree for the indecisive but it is honestly an amazing course! My academic interests have always been quite broad and when I was applying to university I wasn't ready to settle for a degree which was so focused on a single discipline. Throughout my time on the BASc I have been able to take classes from numerous departments, from human geography and population health, to German and statistics, all of which have fuelled my growing interest in the relationship between our social environment and health outcomes.

Ìý

Currently, I have no set plan for the future, but I am hoping to study a public health-related Masters next year.

What is the most interesting thing you've done, seen or got involved with while at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº?
¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Marrow! I first volunteered back when I was a fresher, have since been Fundraising Officer and now back from my year abroad, I am representing the group as President. We are a student branch of the blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan, holding donor recruitment events on campus to sign students up to the stem cell register. By completing a quick cheek swab and a short form at one of our events, you will be signing up to the register so that one day, you could be a match for somebody who has blood cancer and requires a stem cell transplant, donating your stem cells to them in an effort to hopefully, save their life.

We recently discovered that our Marrow group has recruited over 3054 potential lifesavers since it was established in 2002, and I can happily say that in the last few weeks we have been able to add an amazing 140 to that total! Just in the last month, three individuals who signed up to the register with us in recent years have gone on to donate their stem cells - that's three more lives which may be saved thanks to their donors and the work of our student group. Hearing from people who we signed up and have since donated to somebody in need is truly incredible and really quite moving. It's a reminder that no matter how small our team of volunteers may be, what we do really does make a difference.

Have you discovered any hidden gems during your time at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº? (Quiet study spaces, coffee shops, shortcuts around campus, interesting events, gigs, pubs)
Not too sure how 'hidden' it is, but I happened to come across Skoob Books tucked away in a basement behind the Brunswick a couple of weeks ago and I am so glad that I did. It's the largest second-hand bookshop in London and definitely worth a visit.

Give us your top three things to do/see/go to in London:

1. The walk across Hampstead Heath to Kenwood House is one of my favourite things to do in London, especially in the summer!

2. Mamason's Dirty Ice cream!!! It's a Filipino ice-cream shop based in Kentish Town and they recently opened a branch in Chinatown. They make their ube ice-cream fresh in-store.

3. I've been to some amazing, thought-provoking exhibitions at the Wellcome Collection over my time at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº. It's always worth a look to see what's on.

If you were Provost for the day what one thing would you do?
If I were Provost for the day, my top priority would be securing the extra funding that the Student Psychological Services desperately requires.

Who inspires you and why?
Right now, I think I'm most inspired by my committee and our amazing group of volunteers at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Marrow. They are a bunch of students from random years, various courses and different backgrounds, all coming together for the sole purpose of being able to provide somebody else with a second chance at life. Their dedication to our student group and their determination to recruit as many people to the register as possible is so admirable and if that's not inspirational then I don't know what is.

What would it surprise people to know about you?
People are often surprised when I tell them that I travelled around South East Asia alone while I was on my year abroad. I'm also still quite surprised about it myself to be honest as it wasn't something that I had planned on doing before I moved away, but it was one of the best experiences of my life - 10/10, would recommend!