How It Started 
Supporting Arsenal runs in the family. My grandfather was a Gooner, my father is, my uncle is, so naturally I am too. But the moment it really began for me was a school project in primary school. We had to bring in a newspaper clipping and talk about it in class. I asked my Dad to find something from that morning's paper. What news can you give a child? Obviously, that Thierry Henry was the highest goal scorer in the Premier League that season.
And that was it. That was how I was introduced to the Arsenal. I've been hooked ever since.
Being an Arsenal fan teaches you commitment and loyalty like nothing else. Years of "next season will be different", years of watching other teams lift trophies, years of believing anyway. It builds character. Or at least that's what I tell myself.
But this year, 2025/26? We're top of the league, nine points clear, and it finally feels like our season. This is the year we win the Premier League. I'm calling it. (Written March 2026)
Playing
Playing football is a more recent passion. I came to it properly as an adult, which means I have enormous enthusiasm and am still building the skills to match. There's something brilliant about being a beginner at something physical: it's humbling in the best way, and every small improvement feels significant.
At York I played with the Biology department team and we won the intramural league four times. I also played in the FA Herefordshire Ladies League during the 2023/24 season, where we finished as runners-up. Running around a pitch with other people, chasing a ball with no particular scientific objective, is one of the most effective ways I know to switch off and just exist in the present moment.
Muay Thai
Before football, there was Muay Thai. I trained and competed as part of the University of Warwick Interclub, which meant regular sparring and the occasional competitive bout. Combat sports demand a different kind of discipline: composure under pressure, and a willingness to step well outside your comfort zone, all things that carry over into every other part of life.
Running
Three half marathons completed and counting. Long-distance running is as much a mental challenge as a physical one. It's taught me that consistency beats intensity, and that the ability to keep going when things get uncomfortable is a genuinely transferable skill, on the road and in the lab.
