Student showcase

Bridget Nicholson

Since participating in the 'Realise the Dream' event at the end of 2003 and returning the next year as a mentor, I have had a lot of big changes in my life and have made a lot of progress at university in working towards my ideal career. I went from school into Biomedical Sciences at Auckland University because this offered me an exciting mix of all the sciences that I loved and an avenue to enter into medical school. (This is an excellent choice for all you school-leavers out there who are into sciences as it can lead to a lot of career options ranging from genetic scientist right through to eye surgeon! Very exciting.) From there I got into medical school and became part of a big family of students who are all interesting and dedicated people. One of the things I love most about my course is that you no longer work for your own glory and good marks, but you help each other out so that you all gain the knowledge to go out and try to solve others' problems. Isn't this what being scientists is all about guys? Maybe you guys can even start to practise this at school and see how much easier life becomes!

So now I am in my third year of medical school. I get to do many interesting things including visiting  people in hospital, attending the birth of a child, working with actors to practise interviewing patient's with difficult problems and learning to use a lot of medical equipment, like taking blood. I am not yet sure what I would like to specialise in, but I definitely will find a specific area that I'm interested in and would like to develop more skills in. Everyone has their own talents. The real key to success is just to find out exactly what they are and to use them. Next year I will start my first set of hospital rounds and I will use this experience to help me find what I'd like to focus on. This summer I've decided to do a research studentship. In this job I'll work alongside a mentor and do some research into a common disease in New Zealand. What attracted me to this was the opportunity to go into surgery and also to learn lots more about current science technology and advancements. I believe that the fact that I did research in 7th form and presented it at the regional science fair and Realise the Dream really helped me to get this job. Doing these projects at school can be hard, especially if you take a lot of your own free time to do them. But they are definitely worth it. They can help you out so much later on and even provide opportunities that you never would have imagined! I miss all the friends I made at Realise the Dream, including the students, parents and staff. (A big hello to you all!) I would do it all over again if I could and I wish all of you the best for all the exciting things you're doing.