Second year, adult nursing, University of Leeds
Hello, my name is Rochelle. I am a second-year student nurse (adult) at the University of Leeds.
In March 2020 my life was turned upside down when I was made redundant, days before the country was put into lockdown. Until that point, I had worked in public relations partially fulfilling my childhood desire to write for a living.
At the same time, I watched with admiration as nurses across the globe stepped up to the ‘front line’ of the pandemic, putting their own lives at risk to serve something bigger than themselves. A fire was lit, as the desire to serve a bigger purpose unfurled within me.
I struggled to find another job in public relations, so found one in a care home, supporting adults with learning disabilities. I fell in love with caring, finding it fulfilled me so much more than writing for causes I didn’t believe in.
In January 2021, I applied to the University of Leeds to study nursing, not really expecting to be accepted to such a prestigious university. To my surprise, I was accepted, and nursing has become my biggest passion.
I still love to write (in my scarce spare time, I am writing a novel) so applying to be a student editor was an easy decision. Not that I ever thought I’d considered, as Nursing Times receives so many applications for the student editors. Needless to say, I am honoured to have been chosen to represent my field this year and look forward to meeting the other editors along the way.
