I was born in Cornwall and still live here, out in the middle of nowhere in a very rural area. When I am not studying for my A-Levels, my second home is the local stable where I keep my horse and work part-time. I applied to the programme as I wanted to get a real insight into life at the Royal Veterinary College and studying at university.

As someone who isn’t very confident and struggles with talking to new people, I was initially anxious about the programme; what to expect, talking in calls and having my camera on Zoom and not being as clever as the other students. However, all my doubts were cleared and I enjoyed every single day of the Summer School.

A highlight of the programme was the acromegaly lecture – I was fascinated as I never heard of this before. The science behind it was interesting and we got to watch the removal of the pituitary gland from a cat’s brain.

For me the biggest gain has been becoming more confident in myself. By the end of the week, I believed that I was in a much better position to apply for university. A huge turning point was being confident enough to give a little 2-minute speech about endangered animals as I have always been terrified of public speaking. By talking on Zoom, getting advice from the brilliant ambassadors and learning about the application process, I now feel better prepared for my application and life at university.

My short-term goal is to achieve the A-Levels needed to get into the Veterinary Medicine course and my long-term goal is to either become an equine or army vet.