(She/her) 2022 | Masters in Public Dental Health; University of Manchester

I have recently graduated from the University of Manchester where I studied immunology. My research project was heavily focused on oral health. My final year project focused on the role of macrophages in tooth eruption and my review focused on the global prevalence of periodontitis and its relationship with other diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. I am incredibly excited to be starting my Masters at the University of Manchester in Public Dental Health. In the future I would like to study dentistry, but before I embark on this journey I thought that it was incredibly important to understand the vital needs of the public, their interaction with oral health services and to gain a wider knowledge of the health policies that govern not just our society but the world.

I have two major passions in life, the first being health and the second being sport. I have always thought that the two complement eachother well. I joined my local swimming club when I was 9 and by 15 I had broken numerous British Records. I am a Paralympic silver medallist from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, a Commonwealth silver medallist (Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games) and a world champion (2021 World Para-Swimming Championships). I train 20 hours per week at the British Para-Swimming National Performance Centre in Manchester; balancing academia and sport has been challenging but it is one that I will be continuing throughout my Masters as I aim to become Paralympic Champion at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

The Snowdon Masters Scholarship is absolutely fantastic and I feel incredibly honoured to be a recipient alongside so many inspirational students. Without the Scholarship I would not be able to study this Masters. I believe that the pursuit of knowledge shouldn’t come with the worry of ‘can I afford this’; the scholarship has enabled me to fully pay my course fees as well as helping me to access suitable accommodation that is wheelchair friendly.

Above all else, the Snowdon Masters Scholarship has enabled me to feel supported in the academic field that I wish to pursue. Often-times I have been met with surprise from individuals when I express my wish as a disabled woman to become a dentist. But now I feel supported in my ambitions and I’m incredibly excited to continue on my journey to become a dentist who happens to have a disability.