I always had a very idealistic view of the healthcare system we all value. But when I finished my undergraduate degree in pharmacy in 2018 and went straight into a community pharmacy role, I experienced first-hand the issues we faced and how they impacted patient care. So, I decided to become a part of the solution.
I did a postgraduate degree in International Health Management at Imperial College London. During a lecture, one of my teachers said, “If you’re in an industry or workforce that can be replaced by technology, it’ll happen in the next couple of years”. This really impacted me.
So, towards the end of my degree, I applied for the graduate scheme so I could be part of the change, drive the solutions and make our system more sustainable. I’ve now finished my 2-year programme and work as an associate product manager in the National Booking Service team within the vaccination service programme.
Aside from my role here, as part of my church, I work with young girls in South London in what I see as non-traditional mentoring. I provide a safe space for girls to get to know me, allowing me to become a touchpoint in their lives and to care about what they do and aspire to be. I also use it to teach them that their role models have had adversity and failure along the way. After all, none of us is perfect, and we don’t always attain what we want to on the first try.