It is hats off to the graduates of 2008
Last updated 13:39, Friday, 24 October 2008
The twinkle in her eye and the smile beaming from ear to ear said it all. Single mum Louise Hutchinson could not hide her delight.
It was one of the biggest days of her life as she graduated from Carlisle College with her foundation degree in health and social care.
Watching her pick up her scroll at the city’s St Cuthbert’s Church was Louise’s proud five-year-old son Connor who was dressed smartly in his new black suit.
For Louise, of Morton, it was the end of a turbulent five-year period that has changed her life forever.
Louise moved to Great Yarmouth in her late teens and admits that she didn’t do much with her life until she hit 25.
Now 30, Louise is studying at the University of Cumbria, topping up her college qualification to a degree and eventually hopes to embark on a career working with children.
She said: “It’s been a tough few years for me so today I’m so happy. I moved away when I was younger and I didn’t do a great deal but I always vowed I’d settle down when I was 25 and I did but that’s when I found out I was expecting”.
It was only a few weeks after starting her A-levels in January 2003 that Louise found out she was pregnant with her first child. She continued to study right up until Connor’s birth then took a couple of years off, pledging to come back.
She eventually got her A-level in English Literature before starting the foundation degree at Carlisle College two years ago. Louise said: “I realised when I had Connor that I needed a career so I stuck at it.
“I’d always loved the thought of being a teacher. That is quite hard to get a job in but my main area of interest is working with children.
“So I’ve worked as a volunteer with vulnerable adults for a national charity. I became a home carer too.
“I’ve managed to juggle a part-time job around 25 hours a week with going to university and college and being a single parent.
“It has been such a struggle and I’ve had a terrible time through my foundation degree with personal issues going on but the fact that I’ve come out of it all and with my qualification is fantastic.”
Louise’s mum Linda, from Harraby in Carlisle, choked back tears.
Linda said: “I never did anything like this but always wanted to so I’m really proud that she’s been able to do it. She’s put in a lot of time and effort and we know it has been tough for her with having the family and job as well.”
Louise was one of the many mature students celebrating with their nearest and dearest.
Fellow health and social care foundation degree graduates included 40-year-old Amanda Spray, Melanie Jameson and 20-year-old Ruth Weir, who lives in Langholm.
Melanie, 39, of Dalston, was joined by her husband Andrew, daughter Zara and her partner Dennis, granddaughter Rhyanna-Louise and sister-in-law Ann.
Amanda, whose mother and two daughters accompanied her, said: “It has been hard work. The times we’ve been calling each other in the middle of the night asking for help I’ll never forget. But it has been very enjoyable.”
Amanda and Melanie are now at the University of Cumbria doing degrees in Child and Family Studies. Ruth is continuing her studies too. Amanda eventually wants to work with resettling prisoners, while Melanie wants to be a midwife and Ruth wants to go into social work.
The college’s mature students were praised by Professor Chris Carr, vice chancellor of the University of Cumbria.
He said: “What a record of the achievements and the success of the people getting their awards when you consider the difficulties and obstacles they have overcome to be here.
“Getting here today after holding down a job and the other domestic responsibilities is the hardest way of securing a qualification.
“When I was at university it was easy. I went from school to university and I had full grant so I left with no debts.
“In our final year my wife and I saved £1,000 of that grant and it was enough to put down as a deposit on our first home.
“It certainly shows how much more difficult and challenging it is for young people, and not so young people, to go along that road now so I think the achievements of people who secure qualifications like this are among the greatest.”
The range of qualifications given out to 100 graduates included several HND and HNC awards in engineering and computing as well as vocational awards. Awarding bodies included the University of Central Lancashire.
Engineering graduates included friends David Lewis, Mark Watson, Andrew Shepherd and Duncan Smith. Duncan and Mark have secured places on a Sellafield training scheme since completing the course.
For Duncan, who lives in Annan, it is a two-hour trip simply to get to work but it is a journey he is pleased to be able to make. “I started work on September 1 as a control systems engineer and it was directly to do with the course I’d just done,” Duncan, 20, said.
“It takes me two hours to go from door to door but I’m on a training scheme at Sellafield now and I hope to make good progress on it.”
