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Swapping courses and coming to ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Leicester (²ÝÁñÊÓƵ) has enabled Kemi Agboke to secure a coveted graduate job as a psychologist’s assistant.

Having previously studied pharmacy at another university, the 22-year-old from Colchester, Essex, felt she would be happier studying Psychology – one of her favourite subjects at college – and enrolled at ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ.

The switch proved to be an astute choice and Kemi, having graduated with first-class honours, has now secured a role in her dream industry thanks to a small helping hand from ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Works, the university’s award-winning career advice service.

She said: “Psychology is something that I find super interesting. I enjoy finding out why people behave the way they do, especially as I come from an ethnic background where mental health isn't really spoken about. I just wanted to go into a field where I can support people that may not have had the help that they need.

“What I loved about ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ was I had the chance to meet so many people from different backgrounds. The Psychology course covered a broad range of areas, and in the final year, we were able to focus on topics that we were interested, which was useful in helping me to figure out what I wanted to do after university.

After settling into university life, Kemi attended one of the Plan Ahead Value Employability (PAVE) conferences, provided by the Health and Life Sciences (HLS) faculty.

The event gives ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ students the opportunity to network with keynote speakers from across the care industry, and it’s through PAVE that Kemi volunteered as a Volunteer Youth Worker with Focus and Recovery Worker for Turning Point.

To help make her CV really stand out in a competitive job market, Kemi enlisted the help of ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Works, which provided her with advice on applying for the right job, more volunteering opportunities and interview preparation. 

She said: “²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Works really helped me to figure out whether this was the right career path for me and get relevant experience in the field.

“Going to PAVE made me realise how much volunteering and other experiences are important and are probably one of the main reasons why I am where I am.

“I would definitely recommend that any ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ student go speak to the careers team. I used them throughout my time at university to ask for advice and get help with preparing for interviews. Finally, for a general interview tip, just be yourself.”

After graduating from ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ this August, Kemi is now working at Ipswich-based mental health service provider, The Psychology Consultancy. As a psychologist’s assistant, she conducts psychological assessments to help diagnose people with autism, dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Her role also allows Kemi to conduct research and work on topics that interest her, such as dream analysis, as well as day-to-day admin work to make life easier for the consultancy’s psychologists.

It’s the first step on the career ladder for Kemi, who hopes to study for a doctrate in psychology and become a clinical psychologist.

Sang Townsley, Career Development Manager for HLS at ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Works who helped Kemi, said: “Kemi has been an excellent student. She has worked hard to build her experience by getting doing volunteering, attending events and accessing support from ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ works. This has put Kemi on a pathway to achieving her goals as a clinical psychologist."