Profile
Sophie Gray
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About Me:
I am an anatomy lab technician at Newcastle University. I’m from
Oxford and moved to Newcastle 4 years ago to study Biochemistry. I am 22 and enjoy yoga, reading and going out for dinner and drinks with my friends! -
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I am originally from Oxford, where my family still lives. I moved to Newcastle 4 years ago to study biochemistry and never left! I enjoy science a lot, especially human-based science and its applications in new medicines and therapies. My girlfriend is also into science and is currently studying her final year of biomedical science at Northumbria. I really enjoy keeping fit through yoga classes and online workouts, when I can be bothered to get up at 6am to do them before work! I love going out for food and drink in Ouseburn and Sandyford, and love visiting Tynemouth for a nice walk along the beach at the weekend, especially when the weather is nice.
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My pronouns are:
She/Her
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My Work:
I work in a lab organising human specimens (cadavers) to be used for teaching sessions. These sessions are important for future doctors to learn about the body.
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I work within a small team to run three different teaching labs. One of these is where students doing courses that will teach them how to work in healthcare can learn different clinical skills, such as examinations and taking blood. Another one of the labs allows students to study anatomy, which is the science of different structures in the body. Newcastle University has a body donation programme where people can choose to give their body to the medical school so that it can be used to teach from. My job involves organising and working with human specimens which means I must be very respectful and thoughtful in my work. I am also responsible for maintaining the lab to a high standard. I take a lot of pride in this as someone who also studied in a lab at university. I understand that studying at this level can be expensive and is a privilege, so I want to make sure the environment is as nice as possible for the students. I often have to discuss with different doctors about what they would like to teach and how the specimens can be used in the best way for this to happen. This job has been great for my confidence when speaking to new people, and I have met so many colleagues with great stories about life as a surgeon/doctor!
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Education:
I went to school in Oxford and took triple science, English literature, English language, maths, German, history, art and music for GCSEs, which I got a range of grades 9-6 in.
I stayed at my school for sixth form and took English literature, psychology and biology for A-levels.
I applied to 5 different universities and chose Newcastle. I originally studied Biomedical sciences but changed to Biochemistry at the end of my first year.
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Qualifications:
GCSEs:
English literature – 9; English language – 9; maths – 7; biology – 8; physics – 7; chemistry – 7, German – 6; history – 8; art – 8; music – 7.
A-Levels:
English Literature – A*; Psychology – A; Biology – A.
BSc degree:
Biochemistry – 2.1
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Work History:
I had a couple of jobs washing pans in a pub and doing a paper round when I was 14/15. These were good to introduce me to what its like to have a job and commit time to it every week/organise my schedule.
When I was 16 I got a job working in the shoe shop Vans. I worked here for about a year and learnt how to speak to customers and sell products.
I then got a job at Topshop where my confidence approaching people really increased. I also learnt how to use a till and it taught me to stay calm under pressure, because sometimes the till would freeze or not work properly when there was a massive queue!
I had a seasonal job as a Christmas temp at Sainsbury’s when I was at university. This job again made me more confident speaking to new people and showed me what it was like to work with loads of different people which I hadn’t done before.
I then got a job at Wonderbar in the Gate and stayed here for about a year and a half – despite the long antisocial hours and angry football fans it was really good fun, as everyone working there was also a student so I made a lot of friends. This job made me really resilient as it was hard work and sometimes challenging to manage alongside my stressful final year of uni, but I made it work!
I started my current job as a lab technician about 6 months ago, straight after I finished uni, and I love it!
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Current Job:
Lab Technician (Anatomy)
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Employer:
Newcastle University
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
chatty lab technician!
What did you want to be after you left school?
A vet.
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I'd like to work for a charity.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Lana Del Rey.
What's your favourite food?
Pasta!!!
Tell us a joke.
What do you call a fish with no eyes? Fsh
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