Cambridge Success for Salford Graduates

As part of the summer graduation ceremonies at the University of Salford, Bruce Veloso and Alia Boda received firsts in their Biomedical Sciences and Human Biology & Infectious Diseases courses respectively.

And that isn’t the only success for the pair during their time at Salford. They were shortlisted to take part in research internships last year. Out of 200 students, they make up 2 of only 3 people who were accepted for the internships. The two went through a rigorous application process to be accepted into the prestigious university, having to write personal statements and do several interviews. Alia described how challenging yet fun their application process was: “I was kind of scared about moving away from home, so I never wanted to go to Cambridge and I was like, you know i’ll just do it. So, I applied the day before the deadline, it was very last minute, but I got in and couldn’t believe it!”

During the internship the pair got hands on in the laboratories at the university and also had courses on data visualisation. They given experience on how to deliver presentations, advice on career paths, were taught how to academically read a paper and were informed of the type of work that goes into publishing a piece of research. When speaking about his time at Cambridge, Bruce said: “It was a very wholesome experience because everyone was so approachable… they really wanted you to get the most out of your time. We were in an environment where people are actually in the forefront of public health and they are actually making changes.”

Alia is from Bolton and is the first in her family to go to university and has targeted academia as a future career. She also teaches at her local mosque and wants to share her knowledge with future students. Bruce, who was raised in Portugal but comes from London, is focused on becoming a clinical researcher and is starting a Masters at Saint George University in London in September.

The pair were asked what advice they would give to prospective and current students after their experience at Cambridge University. Alia said that “the biggest piece of advice I could give to anyone is to take every opportunity that comes your way, because you might think at first that it’s not for me, so grab every opportunity and let yourself shine.

Bruce added: “Do the extra things that people aren’t usually so keen on doing. When I first came to university I helped start the Biomedical Science Magazine with two other students; it was quite challenging but look where it got me.”