Facial Surgeon Kathy Fan inspiring young women to pursue their goals
24 October 2017
Consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon at King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (KCH), and Honorary Senior Lecturer at King’s College London (KCL), Kathy Fan is not only an inspiring surgeon, but also an inspiring mentor, according to 20-year-old student Rachel Appiah.
“Kathy has been an inspirational role model on my journey,” Rachel explained. “I learnt from her that if I wanted to achieve greatness, there was a certain level of determination and courage that I needed to have.”
Rachel was paired with Kathy Fan as part of a King’s mentorship programme available to local schools. Three years ago Sacred Heart Catholic School in Camberwell offered Rachel the opportunity to have a professional mentor through the King’s scheme and was teamed up with Kathy Fan. Today Rachel is at Aston University studying business management and English language, and has put what she learnt from Kathy into practice, and why Kathy was invited by Rachel to take part in the recent She Who Achieves event for young women attending state comprehensive schools in London.
Why did Kathy Fan decide to become a mentor? “Because I knew I had to be the best I could be from the moment I came to the UK as a seven-year-old unable to speak English. So, supporting young women and helping find out how they can succeed in their future careers despite their start in life is incredibly important to me – and I hope I can make a positive difference as I have done with Rachel.
“If a mentor can help to motivate one person I think that could start a chain reaction of empowerment!”
Rachel took this idea on board and after meeting Victoria Azubuike, who developed the Us Programme in the UK for young women from disadvantaged backgrounds, and volunteered to become a mentor and a team member of the programme: “Being a mentor allowed me to channel my energy into something that will yield good results.”
She said that it was only right to give back and share “what I have learnt and encountered on my own journey”. Rachel added: “Young girls need to find out that there is no height that they can’t reach if only they can conquer the fear and doubt in their minds.”
Kathy told the group of young women at the recent She Who Achieves event about some of the key factors behind her own success as a surgeon: “I think that my self-belief, motivation and grit have helped me become successful. I didn’t fit the usual picture of a surgeon – I was female for a start! So, I knew I had to be good to make it. Proper preparation is essential for surgery, and I try to keep a good work/life balance and share my successes with my team. But, the bottom line for me is to remain grounded.”
To prepare for a successful future career, Kathy advised the young women to work hard, have an end goal in mind broken down into achievable steps – and importantly “celebrate your achievements and reward yourself”!
The final word to Rachel: “We need more young people breaking boundaries in whatever field they choose to go into, and for that to happen they need to see more inspirational people and role models.”
Ends
- For more information about the Us Programme visit the social media platforms @usprogramme on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
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