Dawn Humphries

After more than a decade in retail, Dawn Humphries returned to education, and now she is graduating with a job as a social worker.

Mature student and mother Dawn managed to juggle her studies alongside a part-time job and family responsibilities.

“I’m excited,” she said. “I think it will be really nice to celebrate with my cohort what we have all achieved. I’m just glad I stuck at it. There’s been times when I thought I can’t do this, it’s too much, but I would look at how far I’d already come and think I’ve just got to keep going.”

Dawn went straight into retail after leaving college and worked there for 12 years, but it was not really the career she wanted. Conversations with her partner prompted her think about what she really wanted to do long-term.

She said: “When I was working in retail I have always had a passion to help people and support people and I think just reading through the brochure [from the University] sold social work to me.”

First she went back to college to get her Maths GCSE and to take an access course in social science, which took two years. And after three years on the Social Work degree at Worcester, she secured a job as a social worker for a local authority.

“I’m just looking forward to getting stuck in, putting all that knowledge into practice and reality and really looking forward to being part of a team,” said Dawn. “It’s an opportunity to help people.

“I just think the degree has given me the confidence. The support offered over the three years that’s all been preparing you to get a job for the end of it. I just think they have supported us really well and the people that they have had in to talk to us that have jobs [in the sector] really helped. It’s given me the knowledge I need to get to where I am now and the confidence, transferable skills, everything really.”

It was an initial visit to the University that inspired her education journey in the first place, but her choice of Worcester was solidified on an Open Day visit two years later.

“I think you just get a feeling from some places don’t you? This seemed like a good place to be,” said Dawn. “I went and sat in the seminar rooms for the talks about the course and that was it. Being able to talk to people really helped.”

“It’s just been a really good positive experience. I didn’t think I’d ever come to university so that was quite terrifying. Being older I was worried I’d be the oldest one here and everyone would be really young. It’s different from high school, everyone just gets on. People are here because they want to do this.

“One of my biggest regrets would have been not utilising the knowledge that the lecturers had as much as I could. Lacking confidence in my first year, I wouldn’t put my hand up. But I knew I had to learn these things.

“It’s been really good for confidence building. I would have never thought I could stand up and do a presentation by myself but it becomes second nature. The course gets you ready for placements. When I was on placement it came together and I saw how all that stuff I’d learnt in first year connected to placement.”

She praised the significant amount of time on placement in both second year and third year and the support from the University throughout.