Hello! I am a first year Durham PPE student, and this summer will be researching NGOs that tackle modern slavery, who wields influence within them and whether this influence has led to them making suboptimal decisions. Besides research, I am interested in pretty much everything from physics to poetry to philosophy.

I’m a proud care-experienced Neuroscientist. My research focuses on how serotonin and psychedelics shape neuroplasticity in brain regions greatly affected by early-life adversity. In my experiments, I measure how well brain cells can talk to each other during natural serotonin release and following the administration of classic psychedelics (e.g., magic mushrooms). Care-experienced young people represent one of the largest untapped STEM talent pools in the UK. They have all the potential required to succeed and yet, they are still eight times less likely to enrol in university and choose a STEM subject. Care-experienced young people don’t lack talent, they lack the opportunities to unlock it. In my early 20s, I migrated to the UK in search of a brighter future, when I still couldn't speak the language. During my time in care, I struggled at school and didn’t do well academically. But the Foundation Programme at Durham University gave me the chance to catch up and build the confidence I needed. Four years later, I graduated at Durham as the top student in my cohort - with an average mark of over 80%. Only when potential meets opportunity talent can thrive. Driven by this belief, I founded WISHFULICIOUS to give children in care and care-experienced young people the opportunity to see that STEM isn’t just for “someone else” - it’s for them too. To start-up this initiative, I’ve baked and sold cookies, run a small online fundraising campaign, and am now part of the The CareLeaders Fellowship where I’m working to lay the foundation for delivering our first STEM programme. If you share this mission or simply want to help open doors for care-experienced people, I’d love to connect and hear from you!