A scholarship to study embryology at the University of Oxford has been given to a woman from Jersey. According to Georgia Houghton, it’s an “amazing opportunity to study at one of the best universities in the world,” and she’s “beyond excited.”

The Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health has funded the scholarship, which has paid for the £33,970 tuition. Ms. Houghton expressed her hope that her scholarship would encourage others to pursue their professional aspirations. She is employed as an administration support officer at the Assisted Reproduction Unit (ARU).

In order to pursue their professional aspirations in Health and Community Services, individuals should “take every opportunity like shadowing or talking to the clinical leads in health departments,” according to Ms. Houghton.

“It would be a privilege to be able to fulfil my ambition to help people trying to conceive,” she stated. Ms. Houghton received encouragement from Prof. Enda McVeigh of the Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, who stated that the ARU was constantly seeking for “bright sparks” and that Ms. Houghton had “expressed an interest in taking her career further” when they first met.

Georgia was a little apprehensive at first, but we urged her to apply since we could see she had the necessary skills. “I want to champion staff members and it is great to see this progression,” he continued, “but the scholarships are really, really difficult to get.”
October marks the start of the 12-month course.