Biomedical Science graduate Morven shares how volunteering at Clifford House has helped her settle in to a new city and is helping her future career.
“I’ve recently graduated from Dundee, but moved to Sheffield because my boyfriend had found a job here.
I studied Biomedical Science and I’m very interested in healthcare, so I found a part-time job working in a care home. I’ve also done plenty of volunteering over the past three years in Dundee, so I wanted to make sure I was continuing to volunteer too.
I actually found out about Clifford House through a yoga class. I saw a girl wearing a pink St Luke’s t-shirt, so I asked her if she was a volunteer. She showed me the volunteer opportunities on the website, where I saw the Clifford House role, did some research and decided to get involved.
My role here is Activities Volunteer, so I help out with whatever needs doing; preparing a room for an activity, getting tea and refreshments from the kitchen, or just helping the clients with anything they need and having a chat.
My goal for the future is to go into medicine, so it’s important to get experience working with people - you really need to prove to yourself, as well as to those you’re applying to, that you’re comfortable in these situations.
I’m getting more out of it than just that really. Clifford House has helped me as well. It can be very lonely moving to a new city and not knowing anyone at all.
If I wasn’t a volunteer at Clifford House, I don’t know if I would have stayed. When I was struggling to get a job after my degree, this filled a gap. I got to know people, and everyone is so friendly – the amount of people that have invited me to things is great.
In the end, I don’t think it would matter what degree I’d done – it’s just a great place to be. It’s so happy here!”