Somerset Lifetimes 2020

ALUMNI

Larisa Labzin (cont.)

Biology teacher) but no idea what I wanted to do or be when I graduated. I decided on the broadest possible degree and doubled Arts and Science at the University of Queensland (UQ). I majored in a bizarre mix of German, International Relations and Biochemistry. The Science degree offered the option to study immunology. I was hooked when I heard about Edward Jenner and his development of vaccination. In the late 1700s, Jenner expanded on the observation that milkmaids who had been infected with cowpox didn’t get sick with smallpox (which at the time killed 20 per cent of people who had it). So, Jenner took some pus from the hands of a milkmaid with cowpox and inoculated an eight-year-old boy with that cowpox. When Jenner subsequently exposed the boy to smallpox, the boy was protected, and vaccination was born. Vaccination has saved countless lives since. As part of my studies, I spent six months in Berlin in 2006 but returned still uncertain what to do long term. I completed an honours research project at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at UQ with Prof Matt Sweet, who studied the innate immune system and inflammation. This is the first line of defence against invading viruses and bacteria. Activation of innate immune cells causes inflammation, which acts like an alarm for the rest of the immune system to come and fight off the infection. I ended up moving to

Germany to do a PhD with a world leader in inflammation research, Prof Eicke Latz, and all my years of studying German were finally put to use. My educational journey at Somerset made me well rounded and set me up for studying the mishmash of subjects at university. The skills I learned in structuring essays and analysing literature in English and Modern History became really useful for the critical thinking needed in both the Arts and Science. The friends and the interactions I had with people at school are the memories I hold from my time at Somerset. One of my closest friends from school was Jarrah Young (pictured above left, with Larisa in London before tragically dying in 2012). I was really fortunate to have been able to spend as much time with her as I did. For students at Somerset now, I would suggest not taking on too much. I nearly burnt out in my final years, studying the International Baccalaureate and the OP system together during Year 11 and Year 12. Once leaving school, I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of university. My marks suffered in my first years studying at uni but I still completed my PhD and accomplished some pretty prestigious fellowships, despite those poor marks! Balance is crucial. Enjoying fun and excitement from sport and travel, along with study, is the key to learning about things rather than just studying them. It is much easier to be motivated when you find something interesting. I also discovered, it’s okay to not know what you want to do. I didn’t know that I wanted to be a scientist until nearing the end of my PhD and realising I was actually good at it and enjoyed it.

The Alumni Chapter

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