Alumni news

Coral Buckland

Coral Buckland has just started a PhD at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, exploring bioethics and global health. She’s also close to publishing her first academic paper. Her journey through university and academia is one that resonates strongly with Sussex’s ethos of creating opportunities for students irrespective of their background or financial situation.

“My parents were teenagers when I was born and split up before my first birthday. We had a difficult family life, with a spell of homelessness with my mother when I was 8 years old. Throughout that upheaval, school was my sanctuary. I was always an academic child – on the Gifted and Talented list and moved up a year at school – and I dreamed of one day getting a PhD.

“At 17-years old, I became the first person in my family to go to university. I studied for a BA in linguistics and was awarded a First-Class degree.”

Life then took an unexpectedly sad turn when Coral’s father suffered a stroke, which left him with severe speech impairment. This led to Coral choosing to study a masters in the neuroscience of language at UCL, receiving a distinction. Her intention was to try and solve the puzzle of what had happened to her father, although she ended up with more questions than answers.

Coral continues: “I learned that the most common speech therapies were informed by philosophical assumptions influenced by the natural sciences, but there were other therapies that were inspired by the social sciences. Research into the effectiveness of these therapies was less robust, hence these therapies were not often commissioned by the NHS. My father mysteriously responded best to the latter therapies. This is what ignited my interest in the philosophy of science and epistemology and led me to enrol on a Philosophy masters at Sussex.”

Coral was awarded the Kay Jones Scholarship, through a legacy gift from alumna Kay Jones.

“Studying at Sussex would not have been possible without the Kay Jones Scholarship. I am so grateful for being supported in this way, as well as for all the experiences and opportunities it has led to. It really has been life changing.”

Kay Jones studied Philosophy at Sussex from 1964-68. She was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1974 and enjoyed a successful career as a barrister and founding member of Field Court Chambers. Throughout her career, Kay supported Sussex students and wanted to continue to do so after her death. Kay left a bequest to Sussex to fund an annual scholarship in her name, expressly to be awarded to postgraduate Philosophy students, an area that is underfunded.

We believe Coral is exactly the kind of student Kay would have wished to support. By leaving Sussex a gift in your Will you can help other bright, ambitious students like Coral to access the life-changing experience of a university education, regardless of their background or financial situation. A legacy gift can provide a Sussex experience that will enhance the lives and future careers of many more of our students.

For more information about pledging a gift in your Will, please contact Robert Yates.

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