As a clinical psychologist, my role is to support people with complex mental health difficulties within the community.

The work is really varied: patient therapy, staff training and using research skills to evaluate our service. I'm still quite new in the job, and it’s challenging at times, but I absolutely know that I've chosen the right career.

I knew it would be a long road to reach where I am.

Clinical psychology is competitive with academic and work experience hurdles along the way. But I didn’t let this put me off – I thought, well let’s just see what happens.

I now work in Bradford, where I’m from originally.

I went to school in quite a deprived area so my school encouraged us to take up initiatives that would help us to go to university. One of them was the Shadowing Scheme run by Cambridge Students’ Union, where you spend a few days in Cambridge going to lectures with an undergraduate. It was a completely new experience for me.

Although I was getting quite high grades at school, Cambridge had never been on my radar.

It was the support and encouragement from parents and teachers that influenced my decision to apply. I thought, if it doesn’t happen, then at least I’ve tried. But it did. I got a place to study Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at Magdalene College.

My school put it in the newspaper and, when I drove past, my face was plastered on a poster.

I laughed – I was like, oh guys, this is too much! But it was such a lovely response. I was the first person to go to Oxbridge. It was a huge achievement for myself and for the school.

In all honesty, arriving in Cambridge felt a very surreal moment. It was just a whole new environment for me.

I was surrounded by people with different interests, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. It sounds silly but even the different food and not knowing where I'd go to get my hair done were quite big things.

But even from the first week it was amazing.

I joined the African Caribbean society, which was such fun and gave me that connection to my culture that I missed. And in my first week at Magdalene College, I met my best friend, connecting instantly on shared interests and experiences. She’s now training to be a forensic psychologist. I also really enjoyed meeting people who were different to me in my college and on my course.

And I lost nothing of myself.

I felt no pressure to change. In fact feeling different almost strengthened who I am. Even my Bradford accent got stronger.

Cambridge pushed me academically and this definitely helped me.

I'm already quite organised with my time planning, but Cambridge really helped to develop those skills, as well as my research and writing abilities.

You learn how to produce really good quality work in a short period of time.

The experience sharpens your academic skills and makes you resilient. Without even realising it, you’re developing transferable skills that really help your career. I also liked having the small-group learning of supervisions, where your essays are closely marked and you get constructive feedback.

Being taught by the people who developed the theories I was studying was awesome.

It instilled a love of my subject that carried through my next steps into further education and set me on my career path.

With Cambridge’s short terms and long holidays, I could do some work experience in the summer.

I volunteered at day care centres for adults with learning disabilities and care homes for older adults with complex mental health difficulties. Later I worked in an agency for learning support assistants to support children with Special Educational Needs and in Pupil Referral Units. All of these experiences gave me valuable insights and helped me apply the theories and models used in Psychology in a real-world setting with people of all ages and complex needs.

After my degree, I gradually moved north – my accent intact!

After a Masters at Nottingham, I worked for two years as an Assistant Psychologist, and then studied for a doctorate at Leeds. I recently went back to Cambridge for my 10-year reunion, now as a fully qualified Clinical Psychologist. It felt like such a full-circle moment.

I'm really happy with my journey.

I’d say to anyone thinking of applying to Cambridge: do it, and remember that you set your own path. Whether that’s through social activities, academic interests, or a new hobby, you will make Cambridge your own.