'I quit stunt school to become an Army medic'

Rakela Kalemi said joining the Army was a good combination of adrenaline and helping people

Rakela Kalemi is a self-confessed adrenaline junkie who rides a motorbike and skydives - and went from dreams of being a stuntwoman to joining the Army.

"My favourite stunt was probably cycling down a 30m ramp, standing on the seat, and jumping over a big boulder," she said.

"It was incredible! My parents are not the same - I'm an anomaly, they say".

The 24-year-old originally channelled her thrill-seeking personality into training as a stunt performer at the British Action Academy, having been inspired by watching the Spiderman film as a child.

As one of just three women on the course, she learned to fall from a ladder and was cut from a rope on the ceiling without any notice.

The scariest stunt?

"Being stood at the top of the ramp, pretending I was at a fight scene and falling head first with our arms behind our backs," she told me.

Despite learning under the tutelage of a stunt coordinator from the Oscar-winning film Gladiator, the student nurse decided to channel her adrenaline into helping people instead.

"Originally I wanted to join the regular Army when I was 18, but it was during Covid, so we couldn't progress," Ms Kalemi said.

Army reservists are paid for their time and can apply for dozens of different roles after completing basic training

Joining the 4 Mercian reservist regiment instead, the Worcester resident is now a part-time combat medic and has just completed a two-week training exercise in Croatia.

"I love helping people, and I genuinely want to make a difference. The Army gives me the opportunity to look after soldiers at home or abroad," she said.

It might not be the same as dangling from the ceiling but it was still exciting, Ms Kalemi added.

"I can do motorbike racing with the army, I can do parachuting," she said.

"But on the battlefield as a combat medic, there can be a lot of adrenaline. So I thought it was a good combination."

4 Mercian is a reservist light infantry company that trains on a part-time basis with reserve centres across the West Midlands, East Midlands and north west.

The regiment is calling on people from all walks of life to consider applying, with the Army reserves open to people aged 18 to 43, paid to train in the evening and at weekends.

The student nurse said her thrill-seeking personality was "an anomaly" within her family

Ms Kalemi describes the camaraderie within the Army as "amazing" and said "no day is the same. I get to look after people and I don't know what will happen next".

She says she would eventually like to join the regular Army: "I'm studying nursing at university, so I have the opportunity to become an army nurse or I could stay as a combat medic.

"Here in the army, everyone sticks together. You can't get through it without each other."

But, if the adrenaline starts to wane, she still has her Ducati motorbike: "Give me more. I just love the adrenaline feeling."