FIRST CLASS CALLING TO ACADEMIA

9th August 2004

FIRST CLASS CALLING TO ACADEMIA A St Helens man who left school at 15 without qualifications graduated with a first class BSc (Hons) degree in Psychology, from Edge Hill College of Higher Education.

As a teenager James Stack, now 32, wasn?t motivated to continue his education. In sharp contrast to his formative years, James now looks forward to a life in academia, researching child psychological development.

The volunteer youth worker, who decided to return to education in order to gain a psychological understanding of the people he works with, believes that gaining his degree has opened up a whole new range of future options.

"I really wanted to gain an understanding of the emotional and behavioral difficulties that many young people experience. I now have a greater understanding of the impact that activities such as art or group therapy can have. I?m keen to develop research in child psychology and hopefully have an input at a higher level in the academic world."

James? progression into learning started after he was forced to give up a series of jobs for health reasons and began to volunteer, supporting young people and adults with disabilities.

Before starting his degree at Edge Hill, James took an access to higher education course at St Helens College, which gave him the confidence to apply for the part time degree route.

"I was very overawed when I first started at Edge Hill. As a mature student with no qualifications at all, I did have reservations about whether I could cope with the demands of the course. The first year of the degree was a very steep learning curve, when many faults were ironed out. It was in the second year that I improved a lot and went on to achieve firsts in many of the modules."

James has been offered a place at Lancaster University to study for a Masters degree and is continuing with his youth work.

"Anyone who is thinking about returning to study should put aside their fears and go for it. If you don?t try, you won?t know whether you have the ability to achieve. Returning to study has certainly changed my life and offered me a very different future from the one I envisaged as a teenager."

ENDS EDITOR?S NOTES: For further press information please contact: Roisin Rowley-Smith PR Manager Tel: 01695 584509 Fax: 01695 584355 E mail: rowlesr@edgehill.ac.uk or pressoffice@edgehill.ac.uk