Hello, I’m Alwena, and I work as a Welsh-medium Senior Lecturer in Biomedicine at Swansea University, and I’m also the Welsh-language lead at the university’s Medicine, Health and Life Sciences Faculty.
I have been interested in science since I was a young girl. I loved animals, and looking at rocks, and learning about the body.
I was brought up in Llandrindod until I was 9 years old and then we moved to Llanymddyfri. My father is a non-Welsh-speaking Welshman and my mum was a Welsh teacher, so our house was completely bilingual. I loved science classes at Ysgol Gyfun Pantycelyn in Llanymddyfri. I remember being in year seven and filling in a questionnaire quiz to find out my ideal careers, and Biochemist appeared in the results! That sparked my interest in developing a career in the subject.
After leaving school, I went to Cardiff University in 2002 to study a degree in Biochemistry with Medical Biochemistry. Traditionally, English was the language of the Sciences at the time so there was no option for me to study the Sciences through the medium of Welsh, but I didn’t consider whether that was fair or not at the time; it was something that I just accepted. I loved the course, undertaking experiments in the laboratories and getting to know people with the same interests as me.
After completing a doctorate and working as a postgraduate clinical and research scientist for many years, in 2015 I was given a job with Coleg Cymraeg that funds and develops Welsh-medium lecturers to teach and develop Welsh-medium courses.
I was delighted to take the chance because I had never imagined a career where I could combine science and the Welsh-language. These days, Swansea University School of Medicine has developed bilingual courses in Biochemistry, Genetics, Inclusive Medical Sciences, Medical Pharmacology and Population Health. This has opened doors to students to continue to study the Sciences through the medium of Welsh at universities, and has given them the skills to discuss the subject in two languages confidently, before continuing to use their skills in the world of work in the future.
Since having children myself, I feel much more passionate about the Welsh language, and I’m proud of the bilingual possibilities and opportunities that are now available that didn’t exist when I started my studies. So, as part of my work with Coleg Cymraeg, I provide activities for primary school children and years 12 and 13 in secondary schools to raise awareness of the benefits of being able to study bilingually.
Personally, I have realised a dream because when I was a young girl in school, I never thought I could follow a career which combined science and the Welsh language, and now I can do that. I feel proud that I can now use my skills to nurture the next generation of scientists who will be able to work bilingually. It’s a very exciting period and I’m so grateful to Coleg Cymraeg for offering these opportunities to me and the students who benefit.
Watch Dr Alwena Morgan talking about the benefits of teaching through the medium of Welsh.
