Alice Adetutu Banjo

The path to nursing

Alice has always been passionate about helping people with their physical and mental health needs. After volunteering for several wellbeing projects and charities, she decided to enrol on an undergraduate course in psychology where she worked alongside nurses whilst on placement. Alice saw how rewarding, and challenging, nursing could be and quickly fell in love with the profession. She then decided to pursue it full-time and began postgraduate study at Herts.

‘Because I had completed a health-related undergraduate degree I was accepted on to the MSc Nursing (Adult) course. Herts had been recommended to me before, so I decided to come to an open day and see what it was like. Everyone was so approachable and more than happy to talk about the course. The facilities were outstanding – Herts has everything you need to develop as a nurse – and the fact it is close to London was also a big bonus for me.’

Unprecedented challenges

Shortly after Alice began her course, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Despite the significant challenges she faced, Alice says she is grateful for the experience and that the ‘togetherness’ of the Herts community helped pull her through it.

‘There is a strong sense of community at the University, driven in large part by the teaching staff. They helped students build strong peer networks, where we could rely on one another for information and support, and to boost our morale.’

Becoming a game changer

Alice graduated in 2021, with ambitions to drive improvements in the health service. She is now planning to move into research.  

‘Studying at Herts has ignited a thirst in me to drive healthcare reform and innovation. A lot of our coursework required a creative mind and independent thinking - things that were strongly encouraged by our tutors.’

‘What advice do I have for future and current students? Always take the initiative and make sure you use all the support available to achieve your goals.’