Meet our graduates — Tracy Hyde
Tracy graduated from the University of Leeds with a BSc in Mental Health Nursing and now works as a qualified Community Mental Health Nurse.
Where do I start?
I was brought up in a traditional working-class family in the Harehills area of Leeds. My Dad was a postman and my Mum worked at Burton. There were no expectations in my childhood regarding my education, from school or my parents — kids from my area didn’t go into higher education. University was something that rich kids did.
You left school and got a job, end of — most of the lads went into manual work and girls went into factory-based or shop work. More girls were going into office-based work, maybe trying to break the cycle of working in factories.
At school, we were given the opportunity to go to typing college or building college. I choose building college — maybe I liked to rock the boat back in the Eighties and didn’t want to be steered towards typing just because I was a girl.
Anyway, long story short — I was keen to join the Army and become a medic. Maybe this was a form of escape to get away from the area I lived in and to travel the world.
Life had other plans
I was pregnant with my first child at 15. I tried to continue with my education but this was 1989 and teenage pregnancy wasn’t the done thing! School let me down and didn’t send work home so I ended up just leaving education with no qualifications. This was never chased by the education system.
I’d fallen through the cracks, everyone said my life was over and I’d made my bed so I’d better lie in it.
I didn’t want to be just another teenage pregnancy statistic though. I worked cleaning jobs and bar jobs, then finally a job within the insurance industry, working my way up to the level of team leader over a period of 13 years. I was never fulfilled by the role and felt like something was missing — I’d also become quite depressed and was struggling with my own mental health.
A key influence
One Sunday I had the usual pit in the stomach feeling about going into work the following day. I saw a job advertised for a PA to support a local lady with physical health needs. I was lucky enough to apply and got the job.
I worked for this lady for a couple of years before she moved to Scotland. I used to commute to Scotland and stay with her for a week at a time.
This lady was so inspirational — she had an illness that made her lose her eyesight as a child and was in a wheelchair.
I used to say how I always wanted to be a nurse but I was too old and had no qualifications. Something she said really stuck with me — The only person stopping me was me.
She got frustrated with able-bodied people making obstacles for themselves.
When I got home I applied to Leeds City College to do my Maths and English. After years of working in an office and dealing with claims up to £100k I thought I had a good understanding of both and would probably pass my GCSEs in a year.
Not so much — I had to go in at a lower level for both English and Maths and it took me three years to get both GCSEs under my belt.
A turning point
In the run-up to my GCSE exams, staff from the Lifelong Learning Centre (LLC) visited my college class to invite us to ‘Study Days’ on the University campus, providing additional support for English and Maths. It was free to attend with lunch provided — why wouldn’t I go?
I listened to mature students studying at Leeds, from backgrounds like mine, and saw that they were following their dreams. As I watched and listened, soaking everything up, I started to think — You know what? I could do this…
I applied for the Preparation for Higher Education (PHE) course at the LLC, attended an interview, and anxiously waited for the result of my English GCSE — which I needed to pass to be able to take up my place. In the meantime, I attended a number of other events and activities organised by the LLC for potential mature students — including their annual Adult Learner Summer School and the Kickstart programme.
I passed my English GCSE — my university journey had begun!
The PHE course was invaluable. It taught me a different way of learning — I was asked to debate, voice my opinion and explain how I had formed that opinion.
It was also during this year that I was diagnosed with dyspraxia, slight dyslexic tendencies and a cognitive hearing issue. Suddenly it made perfect sense why I had struggled in education as a child.
Provisions were put in place by the University, including software to help me in lectures and with my writing. I was also provided with academic support on a weekly basis to help structure and format my assignments.
The PHE course covered topics including biology and data processing, developing skills which would help me later on. There was an abundance of support, which helped me to study for my Maths GCSE at the same time as doing the PHE course.
When I found out I had successfully completed PHE and passed my Maths GCSE, I cried. For the first time in a long time, I had done something for me. Not for my kids, not for my partner or my family, but for me. It was the most amazing feeling in world.
A new beginning
I went on to complete a degree in Mental Health Nursing with the School of Healthcare at Leeds. I finished with a 2:2 — not bad for someone that left school with a baby and no qualifications!
I now work as a Community Mental Health Nurse, covering the North West areas of Leeds. This role involves supporting people with mental health needs in their own homes, using evidence based preventative skills and knowledge to keep people safe and out of hospital.
I loved working on the wards during my time as a student and was approached to continue doing so once I qualified, but I wanted to support people in a more therapeutic way — empowering them with the skills and strategies to prevent them from reaching crisis point and enabling them to remain in their own homes.
Last words
To anyone questioning whether they can go to university, just look at my background and think about my story. Forget what you think you know about education, because how we were taught at school is not how you learn at university level.
If you never take that chance you’ll never know whether you can do it.
As my old boss said — The only person stopping you, is you…
To find out more about your options for studying at university as a mature student, at Leeds or elsewhere, why not get in touch with us?
You may also be interested in watching this interview which we recorded with Tracy for the Lifelong Learning Centre YouTube channel:
