After leaving school in 2012, Karthi went on to study medicine abroad, graduating before returning to the UK to complete her Foundation training in the NHS.

She has since been working in Emergency Medicine, building a career at the frontline of acute care. Alongside this, Karthi has worked in some of the world’s most remote environments as an expedition medic, as a land search technician and as a rope rescue operator with her local search and rescue team, and she is part of the teaching faculty of a UK organisation that prepares healthcare professionals to work in extreme and austere settings.

On returning to Clifton High School, to support the next generation of pupils Karthi says: “My career has shown me that medicine extends far beyond the walls of a hospital. By combining profession with the love of the outdoors, I have been able to build a path that blends clinical practice, adventure, service, and education.

It is a real privilege to return and speak to students at the very place where my own journey began. I hope to show that when you think beyond the conventional path, remain resilient, and stay open-minded, the possibilities are far greater than you might imagine. Be ready to adapt, embrace challenge, and grow through whatever life places in front of you — that is where opportunity truly lies.”