A former dental nurse has a new reason to smile after graduating from Staffordshire University alongside her daughter
In the end, with the encouragement of my amazing family and friends I believed I could. If I can, anyone can! It’s fair to say, it has been quite a journey. It’s the most fabulous proud mum/ daughter moment ever!
Jenny Byrne, 47, and Laura Whalley, 21, from Seabridge in Newcastle-Under-Lyme started their degrees on the same day and have now graduated in the same week.
Jenny applied to Staffordshire University through Clearing after taking the leap to leave her full-time job to study BA (Hons) Social Work.
She explained: “After looking into different people’s mouths for 30 years, I decided it was time for a change. It wasn’t an easy decision. I was a single mum with two teenagers, I’d just lost my dad to cancer, I’d had a few knocks along the way, and I imagined I was going to be the oldest person at university.
“But, when I mentioned to my friends and family the crazy idea that I wanted to leave my career and full-time job to go to university to become a social worker, they all encouraged me and believed I could!”
Following a few phone calls, Jenny got a place at Staffordshire University through the Clearing process, organised her student finance, and had handed in her notice all within a month.
After driving in together on their first day, Jenny and daughter Laura have supported each other throughout their studies.
Laura, who studied BSc (Hons) Policing and Criminal Investigation, said: “It was nice to be able to share the experience and offer each other advice, especially when we were working at home through the pandemic.”
Jenny now has her dream job as a social worker and Laura is working with the fraud team at Bet365.
Laura said: “It’s a proud moment for us both and one which we will not forget!”
Jenny added: “In the end, with the encouragement of my amazing family and friends I believed I could. If I can, anyone can! It’s fair to say, it has been quite a journey. It’s the most fabulous proud mum/ daughter moment ever!”
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Find out if you are eligible for an offer through Clearing by using our Offer Generator and have a ‘live chat’ with current students and experts at http://www.staffs.ac.uk/clearing/ or call our Clearing hotline on 0800 590 830.