Keeping it in the family
Judy and daughter Laura (pictured above) are both alumni from UoN. We caught up with them to hear their UoN stories and experience
When and what did you study with us?
Judy: I was a student at the university between the years 1992–1995 and completed a Combined Honours Degree, majoring in English with American Studies, Drama and Media and Popular Culture. I graduated with a 2:1.
I worked with a student suffering from severe Cerebral Palsy during 1995–6, putting into place strategies to enable him full access and equal opportunities, he had no speech and was confined to a wheelchair. He finally achieved a 2:1 in American Studies.
During this time, I began a part-time MA in Modern English Studies and graduated in 1998 with a Distinction. It was the first year the university awarded its own degrees. I taught on the BA English degree course and supervised dissertations at this time.
Laura: I’ve just graduated from a BA (Hons) in Childhood and Youth — on the 21st July 2017!
What is your best UoN memory?
Judy: My best UoN memory is hard to decide. I had so many fabulous experiences. However, giving a paper at Cambridge University on Kipling’s novel Kim and Sarah Kumar Ghosh’s novel, The Prince of Destiny, has to be a highlight as well as achieving a distinction for a Media and Popular Culture project, producing an advertisement campaign, plus video, to launch a brand new drink, Madquerade, onto the market.
Laura: I too have so many amazing memories, from my placements, to group work challenges, appearing in change-maker videos and speaking at open days, the AspireMe programme and of course the travel … I guess the transatlantic trip to Atlanta, to look at the human rights movement last year, was a particular high point for me but more recently also winning the Tony Smith-Howell memorial award too. I’ve laughed and cried so much in the past three years, the whole journey has been memorable in all honesty.
What made you choose UoN?
Judy: My choice of UoN was owing to the fact that I was a mature student (36) when I embarked upon higher education, with two children, my daughter, Laura (then aged 8) and a son, Leigh (then aged 11). I am Northampton born and bred, lived locally and had completed a TOPS Secretarial Course at Nene College, in 1978. Hence, I knew the university well when it was a former college.
Laura: I chose to study at UoN mainly for the opportunities that the course offered, as although it didn’t come with a youth work JNC accreditation, the in-depth work based learning and the travel opportunities were of particular interest to me as a budding professional. I also liked that it was local and I could continue with my voluntary roles in the community that I was particularly focused on at the time.
What are your plans for the future?
Judy: I am now teaching full-time and working on children’s book — mainly for my own pleasure but with the hope that, eventually, it might be published.
Laura: As for the future … well I’ve just started a new role as a Young person’s Drug and Alcohol support worker in Northamptonshire, which I am loving. However, I am (constantly) considering completing a masters, the course I wanted to do this year isn’t running, so I will probably wait until 2018 now, but that should help me to be sure about the direction with which to take my professional career.
What would you say are the benefits of attending the same university as a family member went to / goes to?
Laura: There has definitely been a number of changes to the university since Mum was there. I never thought I would ever do a degree after watching Mum when I was younger and knowing how hard it can be and how much reading is involved, but it was helpful to have her advice and guidance, especially in the early days when ‘its all so alien!’ As mature students too, you genuinely believe that you are going to be the ‘oldest person ever’ and not fit in, so Mum’s encouragement and experience supported me to have the confidence to try. The other benefit is that she understood the process and the stress, which always meant Mum had a calming effect on my deadline nerves and my dissertation emotional outbursts!
