From a young age I have been interested in science and human health, particularly the cause and treatment of illness. The source of this interest was my father, who had a herbal medicine shop. It was so interesting for me when people were coming to him and talking about their illnesses and my father found the reason for it. As I used to live in a small town in Iran with limited laboratory facilities in schools, I always wished to be in a better situation that I might continue with my studies and go to university. So I decided to move to another city in Iran with my friend and began work in a school laboratory as an assistant and studying at the same time. Working in this role increased my enthusiasm for forging a career in medical science, particularly as I always wanted an occupation devoted to helping alleviate people’s suffering. With that aim in my mind, I wish to study biomedical science to gain the requisite qualification to fulfil my ambitions.

In pursuit of this goal, I made the difficult decision to come to the UK and pursue my studies here. On arrival in the UK my first challenge was learning the English language, which I mastered quickly. On the recommendation of my English teacher, who saw my ambition and potential, I took Level 2 Health and Science at Lambeth College, completing the course with great success. To fully prepare myself for the theoretical side of the degree I studied Level 3 Access to Science; taking Biology, Chemistry and Physics; as well as Mathematics and English. As I already had a strong grounding from my A-level and GCSE equivalent studies in Iran, I passed the course with merit and distinction in all lessons. In Chemistry, I was attracted to the organic side because of the interesting formulation of drugs and the fact that it greatly overlaps with Biology. The practical side of the course was the most enjoyable, as it was great preparation for the application of the theory part of degree. I enjoyed learning about human immunity, human genetics and their use and development. I was also fascinated by the design of human bodies and their adaptation to their environment which leads to evolution. Outside of the classroom, my commitment is to my family and I love to spend time caring for my daughter with my husband. Motherhood has increased my compassion and ability to care immeasurably and these are essential personal qualities when it comes to the practical aspects of working within the medical profession. I hope to find other committed student parents with whom to organise sport and social events and play-dates for the children. I also wish to mix with different people at university, to expand my circle of friends and learn about many different cultures and teach others about mine. I have required confidence and enthusiasm to overcome the challenges of leaving my country and coming to the UK to fulfil my ambitions. I hope at I shall be able to instil some of that fiery determination into other students by volunteering at the counselling or disabilities department while at university. By immersing myself deep into university life, I hope I shall become an even better communicator and even more compassionate carer, that I may further develop the personal qualities needed to work within medical science as well as the theoretical and practical skills. This is particularly important as, after I finish my degree, I am planning to take my learning to the next level by studying Medicine.

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