Inspirational Student Chases Her Dreams

At the age of 14yrs, Daisy was subjected to a devastating life-changing incident that turned her world on its head. The years that followed were turbulent and traumatic, and the circumstances of the situation resulted in Daisy being taken into the care of the local authority, after which she was home-schooled for safeguarding reasons.

In spite of what Daisy had been through she completed her secondary education with 6 GCSE’s but the effects of the previous few years had taken their toll and she lacked motivation and direction in taking the next steps in her journey.

Upon turning 18, Daisy re-located and, following her grandad’s cancer diagnosis, spent several months travelling back and forth between Cambridgeshire and Reading as she supported her grandmother with caring for her grandad. During this time, Daisy’s grandad would often encourage her to become a nurse, as she was doing such a wonderful job of caring for him. This encouragement gave Daisy the self-belief and confidence to make enquiries into higher education studies with Cambridge Regional College.

After enrolling onto the Access to Healthcare course with CRC, Daisy was on course to return to education in September 2019, but the passing of her grandad resulted in her missing the first few weeks of the course. Daisy picked up her studies at the earliest opportunity and threw herself into the course.

Daisy said, “I found that there was a lot more stability at CRC. I really enjoyed the course and I felt well supported. I visited the Student Support team in The Hub almost every day and the support I received from the team, along with my Tutor was amazing.”

Half-way through her course, Daisy found herself caught up in the national lockdown and was forced to switch her studies to online learning.

Daisy added, “I found online learning difficult, but for the first time in my life I knew what my end goal was. My determination to achieve this goal is what got me through my lockdown studies. My grandad was a great motivation, I would think of him and remember why I was doing it.”

Daisy completed her Access course with 42 distinctions out of a possible 45 and has since commenced her Adult Nursing degree with Anglia Ruskin University. She is still finding online learning difficult and looks forward to the day that she can return to campus but remains focused on her long-term goal of becoming a Specialist Oncology Nurse.

Daisy concludes, “I am proof that good can come from life no matter what happens. My advice to anyone finding themselves going through difficult times is to take all the support on offer with open arms, believe in yourself and remember why you are doing it.”

Find out about Student Support Services at CRC.