The gift of time

Henschel Freduah-Agyemang arrived at high school knowing very little English. Thanks to his determination to succeed – and with a little help from Jane Austen – he is now studying medicine at Leeds, and is an inspiration to others hoping to follow in his footsteps. 

At the age of ten, Henschel moved from Ghana to join his mother and two siblings in the UK, where he had to adjust quickly to a new country, culture and language. 

“I had to learn English at an older age which made school a lot more difficult. I remember I found it hard to understand how words and phrases should be used in context; I would try and mimic others and get it wrong. 

Henschel thrived at school, excelled in the sciences and, with the support of a scholarship, began his studies in medicine and surgery in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He says the generosity of our alumni and other donors has been critical to his development at Leeds, enabling him to make the most of his university experience: “My scholarship has helped me take up so many opportunities – including attending conferences, volunteering and doing work placements to boost my experience.” 

As a scholar, Henschel also benefits from the University’s Plus Programme. This initiative helps students who come from backgrounds which are less well represented at university, supporting their transition to student life and helping them to thrive at Leeds. 

One aspect of this support is giving eligible students access to additional funding to take up opportunities for personal, academic and professional development. This fund allowed Henschel to put his medical training to use during a life-affirming placement: “I went to Ghana to work in a clinic in the summer of 2021. I developed hands-on clinical skills which, because of the pandemic, I hadn’t been able to do during my first year. It was incredible to get back to Ghana and I learned a lot there – not only about medicine but about myself and the world.” 

Henschel was also awarded an EXSEL scholarship, a programme which enables talented medical undergraduates to undertake research with some of the University’s leading academics. “I found out about the EXSEL scholarship in one of the Plus Programme newsletters and got to work on a project looking at how artificial intelligence can be used in the diagnosis of disease. It was a great opportunity to experience what a career in medical research could be like, and see whether this is what I want to pursue after Leeds. 

“From this research project sprung my presentation at the International Conference of Undergraduate Research and my poster presentation at a conference in Las Vegas earlier this year.” 

To give back, Henschel is now acting as an inspiration to others, volunteering his free time to help and encourage future generations of students who want to study medicine: “Medicine is a really demanding course but because of my scholarship I’ve not needed to work part-time around my studies. 

“This has given me the time to volunteer at a charity which supports students from less advantaged backgrounds who are hoping to get into medicine. 

“I started out as a mentor, where I provided guidance, instruction, and insight into how my mentees can tackle each stage of the medicine application processes – from picking medical schools, to applications and interviews. I was so happy when my first two mentees got into medical school; it gave me a real sense of satisfaction and what I had been doing was worthwhile and I had helped someone.” 

Henschel now helps to run the programme – organising workshops and mentoring sessions. This has helped him to build his confidence and leadership skills and, at a conference for sixth form students, Henschel co-led a workshop on how to get into medicine. 

And he credits the support of donors as being critical to all of this work, to the diversity of his University experience, and to his success at Leeds: “I really appreciate all the opportunities which have been opened to me thanks to the support of our donors,” he says. “I can’t thank them enough.” 

And he adds: “People say that money can’t buy you time, but in my case that is exactly what it has done. You have allowed me to pour my time into what most interests me about my course – and into helping others.” 

Hear Henschel talking in his own words about his remarkable journey – and about the impact of his scholarship on his Leeds experience. 

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