Ana's aim to support society’s most vulnerable people

Thirty inspirational women from across the world have been awarded a masters scholarship at Essex thanks to our highly-successful Women of the Future Appeal. Here is the latest story in a series focusing on some of these women scholars.

After completing her Masters with the help of a Women of the Future scholarship, Ana Urbina Rincon aims to improve healthcare services for the most vulnerable people in society.

Ana wanted to come to the UK to complete her Masters after graduating from the top public university in her home country of Colombia. However, her hopes of studying abroad were dashed when her father was diagnosed with cancer.

Now, with the help of her Women of the Future scholarship, Ana is studying for her MA in Health and Organisational Research at Essex while her father receives treatment at home.

Ana said: “I appreciate the support that Essex gives to diversity; these values support my ultimate goal to contribute to a healthy global community, both through health interventions and by serving as a precedential role model for women in my country, where a male-dominated culture still prevails.

“This scholarship opens opportunities for people that will contribute to a healthier society. It is also inspirational, as it reminds us why it is so important to extend this generosity to more people. The scholarship is the very reason why this was possible for me and when possible I will pay it forward.”

Ana aims to give back by learning how to improve healthcare services in order to help the most vulnerable people. She hopes to make the experience of illness more bearable and less challenging. She chose Essex because of the innovative mix of healthcare and business training that makes up the interdisciplinary MA Health and Organisational Research.

“I am confident Essex will provide me with the latest research and the best in class practices and guidance in framing a development plan to lead to changes in the health sector,” she explained. “After volunteering for two years in the health care sector, I learned the importance of joining both the organisational discipline and the healthcare sector.”

After her MA, Ana plans to work in management roles in different healthcare organisations, focusing on safeguarding mental health and psycho-social wellbeing.