Your name: Aliyah
What course did you study at University Campus Oldham? BA (Hons) Education and Early Years
Aliyah graduated with a BA (Hons) Education and Early Years. She is now a Programme Co-ordinator at Greater Manchester Youth Network.
Why did you choose University Campus Oldham?
I chose UCO because it’s close by to my home and I didn’t feel prepared to go to a big university and live in student accommodation.
I visited UCO for Open Days, where tutors explaining that lectures would be different to larger universities. I felt this would be a good match for me – knowing I was going to be in a smaller group and could get the extra support was exactly what I needed.
What were the highlights/stand out moments from your time at UCO?
My highlight of university was being able to access Laura from Student Support – sometimes I just needed someone to talk things through with.
Laura also helped me to get my dyslexia assessment, which I needed as I had previously struggled through education without a diagnosis. I learned how I could understand things differently, my tutors were given information on how to support me, and I got overlays and tech support on my laptop.
Did you complete any placements as part of your course?
I enjoyed my placements because I got to choose my own. This gave me the flexibility to gain relevant work experience for the jobs I was aiming for in the future.
At the time I wanted to work one to one with young people and perhaps go down a safeguarding or mental health route. My tutors allowed me to pursue this and secure the work placement I needed, which allowed me to decide if I wanted to pursue either profession.
Did you receive support from other teams?
Careers also helped me a lot – with preparing my CV, searching for jobs, and they were still there after I graduated for me to access the service.
I also used the library. The librarians helped me to find certain books I needed, which was really useful.
What are your next steps?
After my degree I worked in a nursery. This wasn’t for me, however it taught me a lot of things about what I did and didn’t want in a career.
I started volunteering with a charity working with older young people, and knew this was what I wanted to do.
Five years ago I wouldn’t have seen myself in this role, but now I’m taking on different opportunities – for example, I’m also a Mental Health First Aider.
