A journey to medicine

Gabriella’s journey to becoming a doctor has been shaped by personal challenges that she’s faced with remarkable resilience. Her story is one of determination, passion, and the experiences that have driven her love for medicine. Gabriella is incredibly grateful for the Alumni Scholarship Award, which has made it possible for her to fully embrace university life and focus on her academic goals without the added stress of financial concerns.

What brought you to the university? 

“Up until moving to the University of Nottingham, I lived in a rural village in East Yorkshire called Bishop Wilton (near York) with my dad and two younger brothers. Sadly, I lost my mum suddenly to a brain aneurysm in January 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. My parents were both self-employed, working for their own company that focused on training and educating.

“My dad went to university and studied politics, so telling him I wanted to become a medic came as a shock! I went to a state school in York for both Secondary and Sixth Form education. I studied chemistry, biology, psychology at A level, as well as completing an Extended Project Qualification in treatments for adolescent mental health conditions.”

Why Nottingham?

“I first realised I wanted to study medicine during a prolonged hospital stay when I was 13 years old. After months of struggling to walk and enjoy playing sports with my friends, an orthopaedic surgeon diagnosed me with a rare lower limb condition, which she later resolved through two major surgeries. These surgeries left me wheelchair-bound for eight months, and then after some intense rehabilitation and physiotherapy, I was back walking again with crutches.

"During my hospital stay, I took an interest in the various medical conditions of the other children in my bay, and I remember asking each staff member what their uniform meant and what they did in their job. Once I had fully recovered from my surgeries and returned to school, I arranged some work experience in a podiatrist’s clinic to get a taste for working in healthcare. I loved my time there so much that I returned multiple times, and observed surgeries as well as being allowed to perform basic examinations.

“In 2022, I had the unfortunate news, alongside many people in the country that year, that I did not achieve the grades needed to study medicine. Determined to make my younger self and my mum proud, I decided to be resilient and resit my A-level chemistry the following year. I spent that year working in Goole District Hospital on a neurological rehabilitation ward as a healthcare assistant alongside my studies in order to gain clinical experience, as well as help people who had traumatic brain injuries similar to my mum. Working here helped me better understand the impact health professionals have on a patient’s quality of life, and gave me a sense of belonging that motivated me to reapply for medicine at university.”

Campus life

“Being at the University of Nottingham so far has been fantastic! The first eight weeks have flown by, and I have settled into a good routine as a medical student. I live in Lincoln Hall on campus and walk to Queen’s Medical Centre every day for lectures. I have joined the Medic’s Netball and Climbing teams, and I also enjoy participating in the social running club. Wollaton Park is beautiful and reminds me of the countryside back home. This year, I am most looking forward to saying ‘yes’ to as many opportunities as possible and giving new things a go!”

How the scholarship has helped

“I found out I was lucky enough to receive this scholarship while on a night shift at the hospital, and immediately told the other nursing staff on shift who had been supporting me through my application process. We were overjoyed, as the financial aspect of university had been my biggest worry coming from a single-parent household and attending a state school."