Stephanie Graduates with a Bump!

Wigan mother Stephanie Quinn has proved to be a 'first class? student after graduating with an Education and Literacy degree from Edge Hill University ? although the course of her studies didn?t exactly run smooth!

The 31-year-old managed to achieve an impressive first class degree despite giving birth to her daughter in her third year ? and becoming pregnant again the year after!

"Writing dissertations is hard enough so getting my head down whilst heavily pregnant and looking after a toddler made life doubly difficult," said Stephanie, a former Wigan College student. "To get such a good mark was fantastic and well worth the stop-start nature of my studies. I admit that I did find things hard, particularly when I had to inter-collate and join a new class after the birth of my daughter, but quitting the course was never an option as I had come so far."

Stephanie has worked at Brooklands Childcare for the past eight years and hopes to continue her studies with Edge Hill in the future.

"Many doors have opened since I gained my degree ? I currently have three or four part-time roles covering teaching, training and mentoring," she added. "Eventually I may take a flexible Professional Graduate Certificate in Education and become more involved in adult training ? but who knows what the future holds.

Course lecturer David Blow said: "The degree is ideal for mature students like Stephanie as its flexibility has allowed her to experience higher education. Now she has completed the course ? and done remarkably well at that ? more career paths have become available to her as the skills she has acquired can be applied in a range of work settings."