When I started my studies at Northumbria, I had recently had a breakdown and been diagnosed with PTSD. I could not work in the face-to-face customer service industry, as I had done before, and was struggling to get by. I saw studying a foundation degree in psychology as a way to supplement my income through the student loan I would receive (as my small craft business was not bringing in the money I needed to survive), along with some breathing room to heal and get well, and who knows maybe I might learn something about why I was who I was in the process. It would be studying psychology, after all. I didn't think much further ahead than that. But around the beginning of the second semester, I received an email inviting me to apply to become a student rep; the role involved welcoming prospective students onto campus and talking about my experience as a current student and showing them around. I had missed working with the public, so I emailed the events department, gave a brief overview of my skill set, and was offered the job. I have never been so nervous ( probably a lie) as I was on my first shift. You could be assigned many roles, but you didn't find out until you were there, and I didn't have much knowledge of the campus, so I had to give myself a crash course on building locations in case I was assigned to campus tours. Thankfully, I was put on a "Help Point", which sounds far more glamorous than it turned out to be; what it actually is, is to stand in one location on the campus with a giant foam finger and help folk who are lost. But life is what you make it, and I not only had a fab day making sure that everyone who looked lost or bemused was okay but also got to know a few of my fellow student reps and had a canny old time. I left feeling happy and fulfilled and I decided I would do that again.
As my foundation year went on, the shifts at the open days kept coming, and as the shifts kept coming, my confidence also began to grow. I also found that I had a bit of a gift for psychology, and my exam results all came in at over 90%. Furthermore, I discovered that psychology wasn't all about theories and that there was also a lot of statistics and number crunching too, which took me back to my old days studying mathematics. I also discovered that the university offered fabulous mental health services and accessed the six free sessions of counselling provided to those who needed it during each academic year of their studies. By the end of my foundation year, I had decided I was in this for the duration and would continue studying for my undergraduate degree.
Over the next three years, I continued to work as a student rep. As my confidence began to return, as a direct result of the support from my events rep colleagues and the positive feedback I received from the events team managers, I decided I would put myself forward for a job I had seen advertised as a casual deputy registrar for marriages within North Tyneside Council. After a very nerve-racking interview, I was offered the job. I continued to study and access my free counselling and support, and when things got tough, I reached out to the lecturers and tutors in the psychology department for advice and support. My confidence continued to grow. Yes, I still had my ups and downs, but the downs weren't so low, and the ups were getting a little bit higher each time. By the end of my final year, I felt confident enough to apply for my Masters' and had become a valued member of the student events rep team. I loved it so much that I had no doubt in my mind that no matter what other jobs I was doing or what the demands were on my time, I would still put myself forward for open days, even as a postgraduate student.
So, on Wednesday just gone, I worked my first ever open day for both undergraduate and postgraduate study, and discussing the benefits of studying at Northumbria was not hard to do. During the duration of my time at Northumbria, I have regained my confidence to a level I could not have imagined five years ago and gained skills and experience I never thought I would have; I have built supportive and professional relationships with countless members of the university staff and feel supported and valued for the first time in my life. It hasn't always been smooth sailing, and there have been instances when the administrative side hasn't always worked out so well. There have been hiccups, tears, and frustrations at systems that don't work as well as they should. But when this is the case, I have learned to approach the academic staff to seek assistance, and they have helped me above and beyond what their job role requires. So it's not a hard sell selling Northumbria University and it's not hard to see why it's won"University of the Year". Because if I can grow so much during my time here with all the problems I had when I started, then I'm pretty sure most other folks can too.
When I reflect upon my previous four years at Northumbria, I see countless opportunities for growth that have been offered to me. I have learned that you can build upon very shaky ground if you have the right people around you to help develop the support you need, but you need to reach out for it. Then, when you've got yourself steady, you can reach out to others and help show them how to find their own solid ground too. Or something like that. Anyway, I do know that without taking the brave step to start studying at Northumbria University, I wouldn't be where I am now and that I am incredibly proud to be a part of what has now become "University of the Year".
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