Luke’s story

For me, Sussex is a place of both opportunity and community. Everyone I’ve met has supported me in ways I never could have imagined, and made a profound difference to my journey.” Luke Azaredo
Psychology (with professional placement year) BSc
Junior Research Associate People’s Choice Award winner

“Studying Psychology was the best decision of my academic career – it’s the perfect blend of the disciplines I love, from clinical psychology and neuroscience to business and marketing.

I made Sussex my firm choice after attending an Open Day talk with Professor Robin Banerjee. At a time when I was struggling with imposter syndrome, seeing someone like me who had achieved what I was working towards felt incredibly powerful. The experience stayed with me and later inspired me to become a Student Rep and Race Equity Advocate, helping others to find the same sense of belonging.

In my second year, a conversation with my tutor about career anxieties led me to take a Placement Year. I began working in the Research on Emotional Disorders and Addictions Lab (REAL), exploring areas ranging from substance misuse to student mental health. My supervisors encouraged me to be ambitious and embrace my creativity, while also developing the rigorous skills underpinning meaningful research. Whether data analysis or ethics reviews, gaining this experience so early in the game definitely helped me to grow my strengths and my confidence.

During my placement, I became particularly interested in my mentor’s work on the UK’s growing Opioid Crisis. This led me to create an online game which challenges stereotypes around addiction while training users to respond to someone experiencing an opioid overdose.

My supervisors suggested I develop the idea through the Junior Research Associate (JRA) Scheme, which felt a bit intimidating, especially when it came to partnering with national health charity, Change Grow Live. However, the project was so successful that it received the People’s Choice Award at Sussex’s annual JRA exhibition, and now we hope to continue working together in future. While I chose Psychology to help people, I didn’t expect to begin doing so soon during my degree.

For me, Sussex is a place of both opportunity and community. I’ve learned what it means to be a researcher, and what it means to help people. My time here has really changed the trajectory of what I want to do in future. Equally, everyone I’ve met has supported me in ways I never could have imagined, and made a profound difference to my journey.”

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