Scholarship Recipient Megan Carberry enters final year
JETS Scholarship recipient Megan Carberry has begun her third and final year of her BSc Sports & Exercise Therapy degree at York St. John University. She is now working on her final year dissertation looking at Gender & Equality in Horseracing.
Megan rode 39 winners in a six year career as a jockey but struggled with injuries. Whilst being treated at Jack Berry House, she had a eureka moment realising that she wanted to pursue a second career as a physiotherapist.
Megan worked closely with JETS Personal Development Manager Phil Kinsella to prepare an application for the course which is joint funded by JETS as part of their scholarship scheme. Whilst not initially having enough points, her background as a professional sportsperson and a good reference from the team at Jack Berry House was enough to secure her a place on the course. She has since had to contend with the challenges of COVID whilst also giving birth to her second child during her second year.
Talking about the challenges she’s faced Megan said, “It’s been tough juggling everything with the children and work (riding out at Brian Ellison’s) so I’ve had to do a lot of studying at night when the kids have gone to bed. I missed out on a lot of the practical aspects of the course due to lockdown but I’ve always had a fantastic support team around me and the fact I’ve been able to do some shadowing work at Jack Berry House has really helped me with my studies.”
Once she has completed her dissertation next Spring, her aim is to get a placement with her end goal ideally being a job at Jack Berry House. Commenting on the work she’s already done there, Megan said, “Obviously being a jockey has really helped me relate to the patients a lot more and I’m familiar with a lot of the injuries they present. I know a lot of people there and am able to have a good craic with them.”
Megan stays in regular contact with Phil Kinsella and praised the work that JETS do saying, “The JETS scholarship it takes away a huge worry about paying off my student debts once I’ve finished the course. If ever I’m in doubt, I know I can just pick up the phone to Phil at anytime and you know you’ve got support just a phone call away.”
Phil Kinsella said, “It was clear from the start that Megan was exceptionally motivated to becoming a physiotherapist. Despite the initial disappointment that her intended course wasn’t running, she wasted no time in contacting the university and did everything necessary to get onto a different course. Not only has she shown excellent results in her studies, she has continued to ride out and has two children to look after. I can’t imagine the coronavirus pandemic has made doing any of this any easier and she deserves a great deal of credit.”
Find out more about the JETS Scholarship Scheme