Richenda Rae is a final year medical student, shinty player, FreshAir FM radio presenter and podcast host of season 3 of the University of Edinburgh’s ‘Sharing Things’ podcast.
Tell us a bit about yourself, where you’re from?
I’m from Larbert, near Falkirk (so not too far away from Edinburgh really). When I’m not on placement as a final year medic, I’ll probably be found playing a bit of shinty with the university club (as and when government restriction allow of course!) or making stuff for the student radio station.
You’re in final year medicine right now, how are you finding it?
It’s definitely different this year – I reckon I’ll start to find PPE comfortable someday. Placements have been really varied and it’s nice that we’re still able to get involved with the clinical team. If anything, it’s great to have a timetable that means you can see actual real people rather than sitting bored in the flat with a textbook.
How and why did you become involved in Sharing Things?
It was all a bit unexpected really. I saw it advertised as a summer job through the uni and applied for it not thinking I would get it at all. I applied mainly because I thought a podcast seemed like a good way to expand on the presenting and production I’ve been doing for a few years through FreshAir, the student radio station. I always have fun with that sort of stuff, so it was kind of a dream to be paid for it. And I also thought the concept behind the podcast of bringing members of the university community together for a chat to get to know them better was really interesting!
Did you already have any media experience?
Yeah, mainly in audio. I’ve been a member of FreshAir since first year, which has given me all sorts of experience from hosting a weekly show with one of my best friends to working at the Fringe and interviewing acts. It’s also given me the chance to develop my audio editing skills, which really came in useful for making a podcast rather than live radio.
Any particularly memorable or challenging moments during the recording of season 2?
I think simply because of the panic it causes I’m going to have to say tech issues stand out most in my memory! There’s nothing like asking for time in the schedule of two busy people and then the wifi doesn’t hold up. That’s especially true of the episode with Rowland Kao (a researcher at the vet school) and Claire Askew (a writer and poet), where we ended up having to abandon ship and record the end of the episode a week or so later. They were both super lovely about it and if anything it was nice to have a wee catch up and ask what they’d been doing in the meantime.
Tell us about your favourite guests and why they stick out?
I think favourite guests for me have to be the students. It feels pretty unusual to have student voices heard like that alongside people further along in their career or heavily involved in academia. It even brought out some student stories and career advice moments. The episode with Spanish and Portuguese student Tom Raine and Kirsty Duncan, who is an MP in Canada and their government’s Deputy House Leader, is a really nice example of that.
What did you learn from the experience and would you recommend it to others?
It taught me a whole bunch about how the university works and operates behind the scenes. It was also a great way to explore my interest in audio and see a hobby turn into a job. I’d definitely recommend it – or the other internships offered through the university – to others. You’re really well supported through the structure of the Careers Service and the Edinburgh Award so you never feel too out of your depth, all the while still managing to push your boundaries.
Would you recommend other medical students get involved in non-course related projects such as you did?
100% I would recommend getting involved in stuff outwith the medicine course. It’s great for your head to get a wee bit of a break from medicine and to spend some time on something you like outside of that. There’s also something incredibly valuable in getting to know people who aren’t in the medical sphere – whether that’s a job, a society, or a sport, making friends and having colleagues who have different perspectives can only add to your own.
If you could interview one person (or two in a Sharing Things format) from present or history who would they be?
Oh, this has got to be my favourite question! I’ve always thought Debbie Harry (of Blondie fame) seems really interesting to interview. She’s had quite the life and has a very individual outlook after reaching the heights of fame that she did. And then I think I’ll add in a bit of a medical spin for the second guest and say Mikhail Bulgakov, who was a medical doctor at the turn of the century. He’s maybe best known for writing the Master and Margarita, one of the 20th century’s masterpieces (published posthumously because of government censorship). His experiences as a doctor and writer under Stalin’s regime would make for a pretty interesting listen. And maybe Mikhail and Debbie would get on?
Catch Richenda hosting season 2 of the Sharing Things podcast
Visit the Careers Service website
