Reyhannisa Haji is currently a student at University of Cambridge. She was born in London and has always aspired to attend Oxbridge (Oxford and Cambridge).
Reyhannisa was accepted into the biology program at Cambridge, and started this fall. Congrats! She has a particular interest in the gut microbiome and genetics, and can see herself working in this field after she has finished her undergraduate degree. The gut microbiome has not been well studied yet, making it an area of study with a lot of potential. Her interest particularly stems from its links to maintaining a healthy body!
During her time in sixth form (the two years of schooling after high school and before university in the UK), she participated in the Chemistry Olympiad and Cambridge Chemistry Challenge. These were exams and a series of challenges meant to push students to apply their knowledge to more difficult situations. She won the Outstanding Achiever Award in sixth form as well.
Reyhannisa’s hobbies include calligraphy and more recently, watercolour painting. She also likes to attend scientific lectures to continue to grow her knowledge. One that was fascinating to her was a lecture given by Madeline Lancaster, and her lab’s discovery of brain organoids (mini versions of the human brain).
Her advice for Uyghur youth is to take the time to find something you’re passionate about, because you can’t force success if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing.
Good luck this year, Reyhannisa!