Carola Romero Fernandez Carola: The Real London

My mum, she's always had a big, big mind and I take inspiration from her to always learn more and to look for answers. I think that has been very helpful in my degree. And my dad, he has always inspired me to keep going ­– it’s hard to be away from my family. We’re close, but I think that relationship has developed over the years, especially now that I'm here. I try to go back every summer and during Christmas.

I am from Cancun in Mexico – it's a very touristy town. So I had a little taste of what many cultures are like, but it's nothing like what being in London has been like. 

I chose London Met because it seemed like a very welcoming university. It wasn't as old as the other universities, so that made me curious about how a younger university maybe was more inclusive, more open to different ideas and different concepts, different modes of teaching, which was something that I was looking for.

I'm studying chemistry at London Met. Coming to Europe, especially London which has a lot of research lab headquarters was great for giving a head start to my career. I saw the lab – it was huge and I was like, oh my, there's going to be so much cool equipment. One whole side is big windows that face London – a lot of natural light, which I really enjoy, especially during the winter days. It's just really fun to work in there because next to me are my friends, so I can talk to them while I do my thing. It's very free. And we just bounce ideas off each other.

My lecturers are very approachable. My time at the lab with Dr Patel and Dr Sykes has allowed me to not only learn from them, but also make mistakes. When you’re allowed to make mistakes, you actually learn from them.

The other day I learned how a cleaning agent works – they literally absorb scents – a molecule traps the molecule that's creating the scents inside of itself and it's still lying around in your house, but now it's trapped inside of another molecule so you won't smell it. Finding about the different products that I use in my day-to-day life and how they actually work really motivates me and inspires me to keep learning.

When I was younger, I didn't know how much harm was being done to the planet. I've always connected to the planet living by the sea and by the jungle. I want something to do with green chemistry and the environment and sustainability, which it is a new-ish field. I hope to make a difference in that sphere.

I did a youth training program with this company called Energy Garden, which does gardens in overground stations in London. I learned a lot with them about renewables and that has tied in with my idea of what I want to do after my degree.

Chemistry can be creative because there's a need for creativity in coming up with new solutions for innovation. In chemistry you can modify all of these molecules and change them to do different things and these can then help other areas like biology.

I'm proud that, instead of going back home last summer, I stayed in the lab and did a work placement with my lecturer, Dr Patel. I worked as a research assistant and then I presented that research at parliament and at different conference. I think younger me would be very surprised to learn what I've done so far.

My favorite thing about London Met apart from the lab are my friends. They really make me feel at home and I wouldn't have met them if I hadn't ended up here doing this degree. I have friends from Poland, from China, from all parts of London with different backgrounds coming from different cultures. And I like that I can learn from them. I've learned a lot about people here. I think it feeds into what a human science degree is. Not only learning about the science, but also about humans.

The community in London Met, apart from being very diverse in cultures, it's also very diverse in ideas. London Met gives people a chance. And I think London Met gave me a chance to show up for myself and to show that I can. I think they saw my enthusiasm and how much work I was willing to put in. That made me feel like I was an individual.

London has given me a sense of independence that I did not have back home because as a woman in Mexico, I could not do a lot of things by myself. Being able to explore a city by yourself really teaches you a lot about yourself. London has given me the safety to explore who I am.

I really like to move. So I've recently started going on runs with my friends in the mornings. I live in Walthamstow, so we have the canal nearby and the Wetlands, which are lovely.

I see London Met as a stepping stone into the change that I might be able to make in the world. I'm a student rep, I'm a success coach. I'm a student curriculum partner. I was a biodiversity sustainability lead. So I've really taken part in the community and in making this a better place.

I feel very inspired by all the efforts that London Met staff make so London Met feels like a safe space and a place where everyone is included and everyone's needs are met. London Met has helped me to understand how the world works.