For final-year BSc Medical Genetics student Amina, 24/25 SEED Award winner, resilience isn’t just a personal strength—it’s a Queen Mary Graduate Attribute that underpins the journey from student to global citizen. As the Digital Education Studio caught up with her, Amina reflected on her time at Queen Mary and described resilience as “the ability to bounce back from challenges, setbacks, or any difficult situation.” But for Amina, it’s more than recovery—it’s about learning, adapting, and growing.
Aiming to be flexible and resilient, Amina has developed a mindset grounded in staying motivated through change, learning from feedback, and remaining open to new perspectives. “University life is a roller coaster,” she says. “What matters is not just how we deal with failure, but also how we build on success. You have to keep learning and moving forward.”
Her perspective on resilience extends beyond her own growth—it fuels her commitment to building a supportive and inclusive learning community.
Amina has spent over two years as a student leader in the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) programme, where she works with first-year students to help them develop both confidence and competence. As a PLTL leader, Amina facilitated structured sessions where students worked in small groups to solve problems. Instead of delivering content, she guided discussion, encouraged collaboration, and helped peers think critically about the material.
“It’s not about giving answers—it’s about creating a space where students engage with the content and with each other,” Amina explains. “I’m not a lecturer—I’m just like them, a student. That shared experience makes it easier for students to open up, to reflect, and to see mistakes as learning opportunities.”
Her sessions are designed to promote peer learning, mutual respect, and active engagement, beginning with informal icebreakers to ease nerves and foster dialogue. Over time, students began to speak up more, reflect more critically, and even support one another. “By the end of the term, they were challenging each other’s thinking,” Amina recalls. “That’s how resilience builds—through participation and reflection.”
The experience has had a transformative effect on Amina herself. She’s grown more confident in speaking, learned to navigate group dynamics, and discovered the power of reflective practice. “I used to find it hard to speak in front of people,” she admits. “But PLTL gave me a space to practice and grow. Now I know how to lead a session and how to listen.”
Amina credits Dr Sally Faulkner, who invited her to become a PLTL leader, and Dr Clara Montgomery, who supported the peer leaders during the pre-sessions, especially with statistical content. “They made a real difference,” she says. “They encouraged us all and also gave me the chance to develop skills I didn’t even know I had.”
Looking to the future, Amina would love to see PLTL expanded across more disciplines and institutions. “We often focus on preparing students for employment in their final year, but we need to build resilience and confidence from day one,” she says. “It’s about helping students reflect, adapt, and connect with others.”
Her recommendation to educators? “Create spaces where students are not just taught but truly engaged. Where they feel safe to try, to fail, and to try again. That’s where real learning—and real resilience—happens.”
As she prepares to graduate, Amina embodies Queen Mary’s vision for its students: motivated, adaptable, and ready to lead in a global, ever-changing world.