Meet Camilla ‘17, who credits her love of biology to one of her favorite High School teachers, inspiring her to study the subject at the university level. She currently shares her passion for science through a non-profit working as a science communicator and programmes officer.

 

I attended ASH for nine great years, from Grades 4 through 12, graduating in 2017 after completing the full International Baccalaureate Diploma. My older brother, Daniel, also went to ASH and we had a lot of the same teachers, but being four grade levels above me, we unfortunately always missed seeing each other at school.

 

Undertaking the full IB diploma in my last two years of school prepared me incredibly well for university. I now also have a Master's degree and can confidently say that nothing has been more stressful and time-consuming than the second semester of my senior year!

 

My experiences at ASH influenced what I ended up studying and pursuing after High School. I completed my Undergraduate Degree in Biological Sciences and Spanish at the University of Exeter, and then obtained my Master's in Science Communication at Imperial College London. I had an amazing biology teacher, Mr. Tim Gurney, who inspired me to study biology at university. Additionally, because ASH was so international, I find myself drawn to really being in international places such as London, an incredibly international city where I chose to study and work.

 

Two stand-out moments from my time at ASH are participating in The Hague Model United Nations (THIMUN) conference and playing doubles in the tennis team. In the former, I took part for four consecutive years as part of the admin team. I have really great memories of being inside the World Forum in the Hague and participating in such a unique and large international event. With the tennis team, I was really lucky that I got to travel and play tennis in amazing locations - such as Vienna, Munich, and Athens - and was coached by a really great coach and person, Eric Wong Chung. Unfortunately, Eric passed away unexpectedly a few years ago, but I think about my time with him and the rest of the team quite often.

 

Today, I live and work in London for a small non-profit called Sense About Science. We champion the public understanding and appreciation of research and evidence in public life. As programmes officer, I work very closely with researchers from all over the UK helping them to communicate their research by developing and delivering policy and public engagement trainings. I am constantly learning about new and emerging research and feel very lucky and inspired by all the enthusiastic and passionate researchers I work with.