Learning disabilities didn’t stop an inspirational Edge Hill student achieving top marks with a first-class honours degree.

Like all students, Stephen Thomas had the usual deadlines and dissertations to deal with during his three years at university. However, he did so whilst overcoming both autism and dyslexia.

Despite this, the 25-year-old from Ormskirk graduated on Friday (20th July) in BSc (Hons) Computing, with superb results that he achieved through his hard work and learning support provided by his lecturers.

It was a proud moment for Stephen and he is delighted with his results. He said: “I am thrilled to have got a first for my degree. I have had a fantastic three years here; I chose the Computing course at Edge Hill because there seemed to be a good balance of different modules compared to other universities and I am really pleased I made that decision.”

“Having autism and dyslexia means I didn’t always find communicating and learning challenges easy, but it was never an issue due to Edge Hill’s inclusive nature and fantastic support network. My lecturers really focused on finding the best teaching methods for me so I could reach my potential, by operating an open door policy that enabled supportive meetings to be held outside of normal lecture hours. Throughout this process they were incredibly helpful and I couldn’t be more grateful to them.”

Keen to gain as much experience as possible and make new friends, Stephen took advantage of the University’s volunteering service. He took part in a number of activities, such as the Global Friends Mentoring Scheme, where he welcomed international students and provided help to them before arrival and during their settling in period.

Stephen now plans to become a Study Support Worker to help people with similar needs to himself, inspired by the support he received during his degree. “I believe there are gaps in awareness for people with special educational needs. With the knowledge I have gained from my degree, I think I can help them and really make a difference.”

The Computing degree at Edge Hill University uses leading edge technologies to enhance your career potential in the dynamic world of computing and communications. For more information, visit edgehill.ac.uk/business.

There are smiles all round for a group of graduating Public Relations students who have already landed jobs in their chosen careers.

Despite predictions that graduates may struggle to find work after leaving University, Alicia Beesley, Emma Allison, Jessica Cooper and Michael Murray have all gained employment and internships in a variety of different roles within the highly competitive public relations and marketing industries.

Twenty-seven-year-old Alicia from Runcorn recently started working for Lynton Lasers, an aesthetic equipment company based in Holmes Chapel as a Marketing Assistant. She gained on-the-job experience during her studies with a job at Matt Fiddes Martial Arts Academy Cheshire, where she was a PR and Marketing Assistant.

She said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed studying at Edge Hill. The Public Relations course has given me a huge amount of practical experience, which I feel is vital. During my recent interview, I was able to talk about the real hands-on experience I have gained from running a client-led campaign for KIND, a charity that works with thousands of children, young people and families across Liverpool and Greater Merseyside and how I successfully co-ordinated the media coverage for them, which really helped me.

“I have learned a lot from both my degree and work experience and I am looking forward to progressing within my career.”

Twenty-one-year-old Michael from Wigan has gone the extra mile by bagging two jobs for two different organisations. He is an Education Administrator for Legacy Event Series, where he manages a series of 5K and 10K running events throughout the North West and is an Event Co-ordinator for Active Synergy, a specialist sport and leisure training provider.

He said: “I have gained a lot from the three years at University. I think that the Public Relations course offers students a number of career opportunities and I received a great deal of support from my tutors. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone thinking of studying at Edge Hill.”

Emma is a PR and Marketing Co-ordinator for Voodou, Liverpool’s largest hair salon chain and Jess is working with Paralympians competing in the London 2012 Games for Wheelpower, the national charity for wheelchair sport.

The PR degree at Edge Hill University is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). It involves live campaigns for real clients, a work placement and lectures from industry guest speakers on how to develop campaigns, create portfolios of practical work, gain links with prospective employers and grow awareness of current trends and issues.

For further information about the PR degree, email Paula Keaveney, Programme Leader at keavenep@edgehill.ac.uk or visit the website edgehill.ac.uk/media.

A talented dancer is reaching new heights of stardom after being chosen to tour the world as he graduates from Edge Hill University with a first class honours.

Connor Quill achieved top marks on the BA (Hons) Dance and Drama with Aerial Performance degree and has been selected for a unique cultural exchange project.

Dance Channels is a collaboration between three festivals in the UK, Spain and Italy and Connor is currently undertaking a gruelling training programme for the tour.

The 21-year-old said: “I’ve been working with an Italian choreographer and it has been an amazing experience. Having a different cultural background has meant she uses different ideas and techniques and has to be very expressive because she often can’t translate some of her thoughts into English. It’s good development for me and she is really happy with the work we are doing.

Connor’s burgeoning reputation within the dance industry as an exciting new talent helped to secure his place on the project, having already won two scholarships, an internship with internationally-renowned Wired Aerial Theatre and his success as a member of the critically-acclaimed all-male dance company Edge FWD, who recently worked and toured with world-class choreographer Gary Clarke.

Leeds-born Connor said: “When I got the call I was made up but I was also terrified -I’m dancing in different countries with top professionals who have been in the business for years, while I’m just fresh out of university. It took a while for me to feel comfortable and there was so much to take in but I focused and listened intently to everything they said and now I’m just enjoying the experience. This type of work really suits me because I’m a bit of a nomad at heart and like to move about, reflect on a project once it’s finished and put my all into new initiatives as they come up.”

Not only is Connor enjoying the benefits of employment before he graduates but also has double reason to celebrate after gaining a first.

He said: “I’ve learnt so much at Edge Hill University and my time here has been amazing. I’ve made so many connections and I don’t think I’d be enjoying so much success if it wasn’t for being in the all-male dance troupe Edge FWD, which was set up by our tutor Debbie Milner. This has taught me to work within a company, which has been fantastic for team-building. It has also allowed me the opportunity to go out into schools and community groups to teach dance, as well as take part in so many live performances.

“I’ve been in the group from when it was first formed and it has grown so much, we’ve even been asked to perform at the Edinburgh Festival in the summer, which I can’t wait for. Without this, and the support of my tutors I would never have had the connections or the confidence to go for this type of work. Edge Hill University has really helped me to grow as a person and as an artist. I’ve learnt so much about the industry I want to work in as well as valuable life lessons.”

When he finishes touring in the autumn, Connor plans to carry out further training at the Jasmin Vardimon Company in Kent to focus on fine-tuning his technique.

It’s top of the class for the first ever cohort graduating this week from the Nutrition and Health programme.

From the group receiving their awards, five have achieved first class honours, with one of these students Farhat Chaudhary being awarded the very first Tillery Valley Food prize of £250 for achieving the highest mark in the dissertation, one has secured a job and another has been awarded funding for postgraduate study.

Talking about their successes Dr Anne Coufopoulos, senior lecturer in Nutrition and Health, said: “They have been a delightful and engaging group to teach and have demonstrated to me real interest, enthusiasm and commitment to the subject and pursuing a nutrition related career. The group have also worked with me externally, representing the University at a range of corporate nutrition health promotion events and at all times they have showed professionalism and have been a pleasure to work with. I am very proud of them all and shall miss them as a class but wish them all the success they deserve.”

Despite the competitive jobs market, Paula-Louise James has landed her dream job as a Community Health Advisor for Wirral Change and NHS Wirral.

She said: “Throughout my degree I have always wanted to work with the community within the public health sector so this is a very exciting opportunity for me. I got the job a week after leaving Edge Hill and I was so pleased to be offered this role as it is very rewarding. I was extremely pleased and thankful that all my hard work had paid off. Being able to provide specialist advice to service users around health awareness and improvement would not have been possible without my degree in Nutrition and Health. The programme benefited me by allowing me to develop a broad knowledge around health issues and public health, therefore giving me a head start into my developing career.”

Peter Field beat off 260 hopefuls for one of 12 funded places on a competitive postgraduate dietetics programme in the north-west.

He said: “When I started my degree in Nutrition and Health at Edge Hill University my ultimate ambition was to become a registered dietician, but having been out of education for a number of years I was unsure of whether I would be able to achieve it. Over the course of three years, Edge Hill provided me with all the resources, guidance and encouragement to help me develop the tools and confidence that I needed to reach my goals and I’m delighted I’ve gained one of the limited places available for postgraduate study.

“I enjoyed my time studying at Edge Hill and made new friends in the process. I am sure that without the support of my lecturers, fellow students and the brilliant facilities at the University I would not have been able to take the next step towards becoming a dietician.”

The BSc (Hons) Nutrition and Health degree has been designed to address the challenges facing nutrition related health in the 21st century, combining the sciences of health, nutrition, sociology and psychology. It equips students with a broad understanding of the nutritional needs of a complex and diverse society. The programme gives a thorough understanding of nutrition and its role within the promotion of health and prevention of disease and the skills required to work as an ‘entrepreneur’ in nutrition related health. For more information about the course visit the website www.edgehill.ac.uk/study/courses/nutrition-and-health.

An Edge Hill University student has overcome his learning disabilities and graduated with first-class honours.

Twenty-three-year-old Drew West, who lives in Ormskirk but is originally from Northamptonshire, celebrated his superb results in BA (Hons) Sociology at his graduation ceremony on Tuesday (17^th July).

It has been a long road to success for Drew, who suffers from dyslexia and dyspraxia. Returning to the UK after living in New Zealand for a year, he didn’t have the necessary qualifications to go to University and was unsure of which direction to take, until a friend told him about Edge Hill’s Fast Track course, which helps students access higher education.

He said: “I had visited Edge Hill before and loved the campus so I applied for Fast Track, as it seemed a much better option than head back to college and study there for another two years. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.”

After completing Fast Track, a successful three years followed and Drew gained results he was once told were out of his reach. “When I was in school, due to my learning disabilities, I was told by teachers that I was average and wasn’t capable of getting good grades, so the fact I’m graduating with first-class honours is fantastic.

“My mum always said they were wrong and that I had the potential to do well academically, so she is ecstatic with what I have achieved too.”

Drew has enjoyed his time at Edge Hill and would recommend the University and the Sociology degree to anyone. “I cannot praise Edge Hill University enough. It has provided me with unforgettable experiences and the facilities on offer here are amazing. There is also a real sense of community, which you don’t get from other universities.

“Anyone interested in Sociology should apply to study it at Edge Hill because it is a brilliant degree; the lectures and seminars are always interesting and the lecturers are supportive and teach you how to think for yourself. They really believed in my abilities and I couldn’t have achieved what I have without them.”

Drew now plans to take a postgraduate course in Sociology, building on the skills he has developed on the undergraduate course.

The Sociology degree at Edge Hill University focuses on a number of areas including introducing you to the study of social life focusing on critical issues and problems that are central to our experience in contemporary societies. For more information visit edgehill.ac.uk/socialsciences.

A former doorman who dropped out of school at 15 has completely turned his life around to graduate from Edge Hill University today.

Kevin Sinclair, from Southport, has achieved his BA (Hons) Social Work degree and has already started working within a Local Authority Contact Referral and Assessment Team.

He said: “I’m over the moon as it is all I’ve wanted to do since starting the degree. I will be at the frontline of child protection because I will be part of the team who make first contact with a child or family when a referral comes through and working with lots of other agencies to either refer them to family support teams or apply to the court o to move children from the family if we think the threshold is high enough and the child is in danger of significant harm.”

However, university seemed a million miles away for Kevin who didn’t have any aspirations to study when he was younger.

With a tough upbringing, his dad left when he was nine-years-old and he was left watching his mother juggle five jobs to feed and clothe his siblings, which made Kevin determined to go out to work to help her.

“I started working on a farm when I was 12,” said the dad-of-two. “I’d bunk off school just so I could do extra work. I became a hindrance in school and dropped out so that I could help my mum with money because she was ill and I couldn’t bear to see her struggle.”

“When my dad left it had a massive impact on me but at the same time my mum instilled a good work ethic in me, which has never left me.”

At 18, Kevin was then living in London and found himself working as security on pubs and clubs by accident. During this time he saw some horrific scenes. He said: “There were a lot of scary moments, violence and lots of crazy things happened during that time. But looking back now, it taught me a lot about human behaviour which has given me lots of coping strategies when dealing with challenging situations as a social worker.”

It was only when Kevin started to plan for his wedding and had to attend church that he realised he wanted a different life for himself and his family.

“When I started going to church I got talking to a guy who ran a youth project called Prospex, which Chancellor Tanya Byron is patron of. I started to get involved in it and just sitting with these kids who all had similar backgrounds to me made me realise I wanted to do something to help. Plus, I’d started seeing my life for what it really was and I wanted better for my own two children.”

Coming into contact with social workers during his time with Prospects spurred Kevin on to start looking at this type of work as a new career path.

The 38-year-old moved back to Southport with his family and after doing an access course while juggling a job as a truck mechanic, he was finally ready to apply for University.

“When I came to the Open Day at Edge Hill University I got a really lovely feeling about the place, the course seemed brilliant and the tutors were so supportive. It felt almost like a family and when I started here I knew I had made the right choice. Even today I still look around at the University and can’t quite believe I’m here and I made it. It has changed me as a person; the way I think and even some of my viewpoints.

“I’d say to anyone in a similar situation as me to just go for it. If you have dreams then don’t hold back. I was working from the age of 12 in manual labouring jobs but I took a big decision and it has paid off. It doesn’t matter what your background is, it’s your own experiences and turning them into positives that are really important.”

A West Lancashire student has proved hard work pays off as she graduates from Edge Hill University with first-class honours and her ideal job.

Twenty-year-old Jessica Tonge from Skelmersdale has double reason to celebrate at her ceremony on Monday (16th July) for BA (Hons) Physical Education and School Sport after gaining fantastic results and securing employment despite the challenging graduate job market.

Jessica, who is now working as a Coach for West Lancashire School Sports Partnership, is thrilled that she has achieved a first. She said: “I’m absolutely over the moon with my results. I’m shocked I have done so well but I am really pleased – the amount of time and effort I have put into my course has been worth it.”

Wanting to stay close to home when she applied to Edge Hill, Jessica juggled working part-time and volunteering during her studies. She explains: “Although I was working, which sometimes made it hard to fit everything in, I knew the importance of gaining as much experience as possible, so I did a lot of volunteering, including working at primary schools. I also started all of my assessments and projects as soon as I got them, and I think the combination of my work experience and good organisational skills has really helped me succeed.”

She was delighted with the support she received from the University. She said: “I have enjoyed my time at Edge Hill and it has fully met my expectations. I have gained a number of coaching qualifications that the University offered and my lecturers and tutors were really supportive. They were always on hand to help and I am really grateful to them.”

The Physical Education and School Sport degree offers a rounded approach to children’s learning and development and the practical application of theory around the education of children through physical activity. For more information, visit edgehill.ac.uk/sport.  

A Victim Support volunteer who overcame a traumatic family experience to realise her dreams of becoming a forensic psychologist graduates from Edge Hill University today (16^th July).

Kirsty Weller, who earlier this year was also named Edge Hill’s Student Volunteer of the Year, is celebrating after gaining a 2.1 on her Bsc (Hons) Psychology degree.

The 20-year-old from Chorley achieved her success while juggling her studies, working as a support carer for the elderly and those with mental health problems and also spending hours providing emotional support to victims of crime through volunteering for Victim Support.

“The job satisfaction I get from this is amazing,” said Kirsty. “Some of the people I have helped have even applied to become volunteers themselves and I have received letters thanking me, which has been really nice.”

“I lost my dad five years ago and had the help of Victim Support. I felt I wanted to give something back, which is why I wanted to volunteer for them.”.”

Kirsty was only 16 when her father killed her stepmother and then committed suicide.

“I was about to start college but because of all the media attention I nearly didn’t go – I was worried that people would recognise me. It was so hard for me but I had amazing support. It was then that I realised that I wanted to become a forensic psychologist.”

“I think what I’ve been through also helps me relate to the people I help through Victim Support, because I can understand what they’re going through. I don’t bring my sob story to the table, but sometimes if I’m dealing with victims of domestic violence and they are scared to go to court I can use my experiences to tell them that if they don’t nip it in the bud it will only get worse.”

It was during an Open Day visit that Kirsty fell in love with the campus. Describing herself as “old before my time” she didn’t want to move away from her family or fiance and chose Edge Hill as the place to study for her.

“I’ve just loved my time here. I’ve not really lived the ‘typical’ student life but my experience has been fantastic. I’ve learnt so much here and the course has covered so much in trying to understand behaviour and how the brain works. My tutors have been so supportive and I don’t think I could have done it without their help.”

“Everyone has something that drives or motivates them, so I’d say use these experiences in a positive way. I could have grieved in a dark room and not done anything with my life but I didn’t let it break me, it has made me stronger and I’m doing something good with my life.”

One of the leading ambassadors of the further education sector has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Edge Hill University.

Dame Patricia Bacon, who has been the Principal of St Helens College for 10 years, has been hugely committed to raising the profile, significance and impact of education and ensuring that opportunities are available for all.

Her honorary degree, which was given in light of her inspirational contribution to the sector and exemplary partnership work with Edge Hill, was conferred from the University’s Vice Chancellor John Cater in a ceremony on the Ormskirk campus. She explains what the award means to her in an interview here.

Upon receiving the award, Pat said: “This is a proud moment for me in what has been an incredible year which started with my DBE in the New Year.

“In education we can create opportunities for people in order to allow them to exceed their own expectations and I share many of the same values as Edge Hill University. Anyone graduating from this University can be truly proud and confident that it will go from strength to strength.”

Following her own graduation, Pat spent five years in retail management before becoming a lecturer at Cauldon College, Stoke-on-Trent, which was to be the start of a highly successful career in further education spanning more than 30 years. Pat’s specialist fields are retail, business communication and marketing.  As a qualified and highly skilled teacher her experience of curriculum development, teaching and learning, and her passion for ensuring that work related learning has a place in the curriculum have all informed Pat’s outstanding work as a leader within education.

As Principal of St Helens College, she has ensured it has benefitted from a £60m capital programme which has created not only a first class learning environment for students but for the community and town as a whole. This achievement represents Pat’s many attributes – drive, energy, passion, vision, strategic thinking, negotiation skills and tenacity.

Offering advice to students graduating, Pat said: “Education really does make a difference, especially in this tough economic climate. Think of it as a journey, not a destination – whatever point you get to there is a next step beyond that. I also believe that learning is both formal and informal; learning and development comes in all shapes and sizes, so carry on learning in whatever way you can.”

An outstanding leader who has achieved a great deal for thousands of students across the country, Pat has also contributed widely and significantly to a range of external organisations including seven years as an NHS Hospitals Trust Non-Executive Director and periods as Director of Mersey Maritime, St Helens World of Glass, the award winning St Helens Chamber and Chair of Lifelong Learning UK. Currently Pat is a member of the JISC Board and Transition Group, reflecting her particular interest in learning technology.

In 2009 Pat was elected to the prestigious position of National President for the Association of Colleges (AoC). She describes this as one of the most influential and challenging periods of her career because it was through a time of significant political and economic change with both the recession and the 2010 General Election dominating her period in office.

In the 2011 New Year’s Honours List Pat was awarded a DBE for her contribution to both local and national work on behalf of colleges.

The Law Alumni Association was launched recently at a special gathering of local employers, staff, current students and alumni.

Watch footage of the event and hear interviews with former students and legal professionals who continue to have strong links with the Law department.

Robert Collinson, Senior Law Lecturer, who worked with the Alumni Team to organise the event, said: “It was great to welcome former students back to campus and hear about their career successes. Establishing the association will allow us to maintain links with our students after graduation, keep up to date with how their careers are progressing and offer them the opportunity to support our current students, through job placements, careers talks and mentoring.”

If you are an Edge Hill Law graduate and would like further information on how you can be involved in the new Law Alumni Association, contact Caroline Mitchell, Affinity Officer, on 01695 584861 or email alumni@edgehill.ac.uk.