Saira is in her last year of EUC, majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology as well as Biological Aspects of Public Health. Throughout her three years at EUC Saira has displayed outstanding academic performance.
Originally, she applied to EUC to study Neuroscience but changed her mind in the first year when she realized she was more fascinated by the processes happening on a molecular level. When asked why she chose a broader liberal arts & sciences bachelor, she recalled that her high school interests were very varied; including math, biology and art. She was also curious about the interdisciplinary approach of teaching which eventually lead her to EUC. Beside the two majors, Saira also participated in the highly selective Leadership Programme of EUC in her second year, which gave her an extra edge to experience practical work which, in her words “guides your personal development”. The Leadership Programme is exclusively for the top 5% students and gives exposure to projects with a societal impact in Rotterdam. Through this experience, Saira pushed herself to be more proactive and involved in the community. In her spare time, Saira likes being in nature, hiking, and cooking for friends and family.
Last year Saira moved one step closer to achieving her career potential. She applied and was accepted as an Amgen Scholar for a two-month research internship. This achievement was significant both on a personal and on a university level, as Saira is the first ever student from a Dutch university to be accepted for this scholarship. Her summer at the Karolinksa University in Stockholm was a defining moment for clarifying her goals and aspirations. She met people with the same professional interests, did research on melanoma cancer, but above all, made friendships for life with students and colleagues in the same scientific field. She still meets and talks with her fellow researchers on a regular basis. Her time spent at the Cancer Research department convinced her that research work appealed to her so much that she wanted to pursue a PhD and to build a career in the industry research field. This fits well with her personality, which strives for challenges and adventure. Being a scientist, as Saira explains, is very much like developing a recipe. Try, adjust, adapt and try again until you reach the perfect recipe.
What comes after EUC? Saira has applied for several research masters in biomedicine at renowned institutions. She has already been admitted to Imperial College London and is awaiting a positive response from Oxford University. Most certainly bright opportunities are ahead of her!
