Double accolade for Salford students securing Cambridge University internship

Bruce Veloso and Alia Boda have been awarded a place on the summer scheme, which will see them complete a fully-funded six-week internship at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Only 15 places are available on the scheme each year with our Salford students beating hundreds of applications for the top spots through multiple rounds of shortlisting.

Bruce will complete his placement in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, helping him achieve his ambition to pursue a career in medicine, specialising in Public Health.

Alia, who also secured a place on the scheme will be working in the MRC Molecular Biology lab. In addition, Alia is due to complete a placement at the University of Manchester working on covid immunology.

The University has a clear vision for its students that places employability central to its teaching and learning approach. Throughout their studies, students are provided mentorship and guidance on workplace skills which contribute to them achieving industry experience both during and after their studies. The Biomedicine subject area offers several successful extracurricular mentorship schemes that have seen a growing number of success stories for a range of careers, including research, biomedical sciences and physician associate studies. 

Dr Sara Namvar, Deputy Programme Lead for Biomedical Sciences, said: “Bruce and Alia are outstanding students, who not only work hard to achieve outstanding academic results but also make positive contributions to the university community both inside and outside the classroom. They both totally deserve this opportunity, and we are extremely proud of this achievement.”

Bruce said: “The vacancy for the research internship at Cambridge was highlighted to me by my ever so supportive teachers, who continuously inspire me to push the boundaries of what my limits used to be.

“Having come from a deprived area where such opportunities are few and far in between, I have never pictured myself applying for anything related to Cambridge. It is usually more realistic for people that come from where I come from to not even dream of such things. To me, by simply applying to the internship and receiving an interview invitation has helped to grow more confident in my ability to achieve my dreams and become a public health researcher.

“By achieving this, I can positively impact the community I come from and help broaden the horizons of my peers and the younger generation, so that we all can keep pushing the boundaries of our perceived limitations.”

Alia added: "I am truly delighted to be offered an internship at the University of Cambridge. This is something I had never envisioned but with the immense support and encouragement from the University, I have truly been lucky.

“Coming from a background where no one else has a degree and being the first in my family to go to University, this placement means a lot for me. I get the opportunity to represent Muslim females like me and break stereotypes within my community related to careers.

"From the day I started University, the support I have received from both, my family and the academics is what has got me to the place I am at today.”