Lisa worked as an ambassador for two years and has just graduated from a 4-year Masters degree in Pharmacy on the Medway campus.
My name is Lisa and I originate from Toronto, Canada. I came to the UK to study pharmacy, with this being my second degree. Yes, I was crazy enough to go through university twice! I just graduated from Pharmacy, which is a 4-year integrated Master’s degree. After 4 years of hard work, I can finally say it was worth it. I realise many of you are in a similar position as I once found myself in. Late night deadlines, endless coursework and the doom of dissertation. But rest assured, your hard work will pay off, and you will graduate and go off to be very successful in whatever career you choose. Reflecting on my time as a student ambassador I can now say how very lucky I was to participate in the scheme. I was an ambassador for only two years, but wish I joined much sooner. Throughout my short time here I worked as a recruitment, outreach and Workshop Delivery Ambassador. Going through the process of becoming a Workshop Delivery Ambassador was one of the best things I have done. Public speaking is an important life skill and I encourage every ambassador to apply for this opportunity.
I know everyone wants to rush home for the summer like I did, but I would highly encourage you to stick around and join the Summer Core Team. I wish I did it all four years as it was an incredible journey. Core Team training was lead by Ruth and Jamie who are just amazing! Our team motto was TFK (Teamwork, Flexibility and Kindness). This is essentially what being an Ambassador is all about! The other ambassadors on the team were some of the most amazing people I have met. (Lydia, James, Kieran, Lloyd, Mark, Rosie, Haidar, Ellie C, Ellie T, Lae). We will each be embarking on different journeys as some of us have graduated, but I will cherish the memories and banter of the core team. We truly worked as a team and guided each other to make sure all events were a success. After having studied science for the past 8 years, it was so refreshing to learn about different humanities and social science subjects. University is a place where you come across different opinions and ideas. I was extremely lucky to experience this while working. The most enjoyable part was sharing my experiences of university with students of different backgrounds across the Kent and Medway area who are considering higher education.
Some of the Summer Core Team events included: FE residential, World Languages Day, Picture of Health Day, Wildlife Conservation, and Confidence in Communication. It was both challenging and rewarding at the same time as each day proved to be different. The most difficult part had to be keeping some of the kids engaged with the activities especially if they did not show any interest. These seem to be the most interesting students, because although at that moment, we as ambassadors might feel like giving up, we had to remember that each student comes from a different environment. They will remember the experience of spending a day at university and we as ambassadors strived to make sure everyone had a memorable time.
After Summer Core Team finished, I began the Year 12 Summer School which is a 2-night stay in Keynes accommodation for students who are considering higher education. This was lead by Eloise and Jamie who are amazing! My students were incredible, and we made great memories together. On the first night there was a cooking challenge, however none of my girls had cooked before. We attempted to make spaghetti Bolognese but failed miserably. Hence our team name for the rest of the week was Uncooked Mince. Mentoring these girls, I realised the potential they have in themselves to attend higher education. I was grateful to give them advice on their next steps, and I know they will go off and achieve great things.
The training and skills I have gained this summer will help me in my future career as a pharmacist. I encourage all of you to take advantage of any opportunity given to you at university because you never know what it will lead to. Remember to work hard and anything is possible. It was truly a pleasure working with every member of the Partnership Development Office and best of luck in your future endeavours.