“I had a really good experience studying chemistry overall. All the lecturers were really passionate about what they were teaching.“
Introducing this week's Human of York - postgraduate alum Matteo:
“I had a really good experience studying chemistry overall. I felt like all the lecturers were really passionate about what they were teaching. All of them had subtle differences in the research which made the course really interesting.
“I worked closely with two different lecturers. I worked with Dr Alyssa-Jennifer Avestro during an internship. I really liked Alyssa, not only as a researcher but also as a person. She was always really open with her group. Alyssa was a big advocate for women and minorities in STEM, which was really inspiring.
“I also worked closely with Professor David Smith. A lot of people know him because of his research and how initially this was directed to help his late husband Sam, who unfortunately passed away because of cystic fibrosis. His research was initially targeted to different aspects of cystic fibrosis, not just the actual disease itself but the treatment of it too. I find Dave’s work really inspiring.
“Something which I really liked about my time at York was the fact that I was able to create a lot of different groups of friends. I moved to York in 2018 to study Chemistry. I was put in Derwent College and I felt everyone was really welcoming, we had loads of fun. I got along really well with the people in my flat, we did actually end up getting a house together in my second and third year.
“Volleyball was really important to me during my time at York. Because it’s not a sport that is often played in the UK, most of the members were from Europe. Even though I didn't feel like there was a massive culture shock coming to the UK, I really enjoyed volleyball because it felt homely.”
Matteo, MChem (Hons) Chemistry, Derwent College, Humans of York, April 2023
