What I'll always remember about Greenwich is the dedication of the staff to its students. I always felt that I had a massive support network encouraging me and providing opportunities to move forward in my career.
Memories of Greenwich
I miss being involved in student societies - especially Performing Arts! Events at Lower Deck, late nights cramming with friends at Stockwell Street Library, and grabbing lunch at Greenwich Market also come high on the list. In addition, I really enjoyed organizing and curating the NeuroArt competition and exhibition during my final year, and would really recommend approaching the Students' Union if you have a great idea for an innovative project that you'd like to materialise - they're really helpful and eager to go out of their way to facilitate fantastic experiences for Greenwich students.
When I first started my Psychology degree, I had absolutely no idea that I would end up doing a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. I'd taken two years out between finishing my A Levels and going to university, which I spent teaching English as a second language (ESL) in Latvia and Ecuador. While I was based in Quito, I remember one of my students asking me if I liked teaching, and if I wanted to continue teaching ESL forever. I replied that I loved teaching, but that I would want to teach something else - maybe Psychology!
That day, I went home from work and started looking up BSc Psychology courses. I landed on the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ course taught at their partner university in Athens, Greece, where I ended up spending the first two years of my degree. Eventually, I decided to transfer to the London-based campus for my final year, to pursue the career and research opportunities that London had to offer.
Life after Greenwich
After Greenwich, I studied MSc Neuroscience at King's College London. It was an excellent transition from Psychology to Biomedical Sciences and I would highly recommend the course for anyone considering making the same career move as I did!
After successfully completing the MSc, I landed a Research Assistant position at the Centre for Medical Genetics in Antwerp, which then turned into a permanent PhD candidate position this year. In my PhD project, I'll be focusing on researching the epigenetics of neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In addition to my love for neuroscience, I'm also really interested in applying design thinking approaches and living experience expertise to healthcare innovation and advocacy initiatives. As such, I'm also involved in several projects with ADHD Women Europe, Design in Mental Health (Centre for Global Mental Health, King's College London), and the Global Mental Health Peer Network, among others.
This snapshot was taken just before I'd landed my current role. I love it because despite the uncertainty of the situation at the time (job hunting during a global pandemic!) I still look strong, confident, and fierce! I could say the same to characterise several Greenwich graduates I know: resilient, adaptable, passionate, and motivated to make their mark.
