Three years ago, 52-year-old teaching assistant Stephanie Kennedy was accompanying her excited daughter Mia on university open days. The experience inspired her to revisit a long-held idea of returning to education herself and a visit to Edge Hill University convinced her it was finally the right time to take the plunge.
Much like the premise of the movie Life of the Party, where Melissa McCarthy’s character goes back to college with her daughter, Stephanie and Mia have navigated the ups and downs of campus life together.
Stephanie, from Wigan, said: “As a working mother of three daughters, I had always postponed doing things for myself. I have never believed in myself much and my confidence in academic learning was low.
“When we started attending university open days with my eldest daughter, the idea was planted. I began to dream about studying for a degree myself. Years later, a lovely Edge Hill staff member and neighbour told me about the University’s Fastrack course which could help make my dream possible.
“And then going to all the course presentations and campus tours at Edge Hill with Mia confirmed that desire to prove to myself that I could do it too.”
When Mia, now 21, and her mum attended Dr Shaun Liverpool’s presentation on Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Wellbeing, they both knew they had found their course.
“Mum gives so much to her family and never does anything for herself, and I knew going to university was something she always wanted to do,” said Mia, who with her Dad Mike, encouraged Stephanie to apply.
Stephanie completed Edge Hill’s Fastrack programme – a short, intensive, free course to help mature students prepare for a return to education – in 2022, which Stephanie described as the “most intense and hardest six weeks of my life, but it provided me with the foundation and confidence I needed to succeed.”
Mum and daughter shared the commute from Wigan to Ormskirk, taking turns to drive, as well as sharing their academic journey. Mia explained, “My mum would always have questions to ask in class and at home and would constantly remind me of deadlines. We didn’t check each other’s work or help with assignments, as we both had different ways of studying. My mum loved studying more than me.”
When Stephanie began the course, she enjoyed support from her friends on the FastTrack programme. But as time passed, they went their separate ways and Stephanie found a new home within Mia’s friendship group. She thrived with them, and earning the affectionate nickname, Mama Hen.
Mia, who was delighted to achieve a 2:1 in BSC (Hons) Child & Adolescent Mental Health & Wellbeing said: “Being on the same course as my own Mum made the experience so special and unique.” Mia will be coming back to Edge Hill in September to do a PGCE in Primary Education with QTS.
Stephanie, who earned a First on the same course, said: “This has been the hardest thing I have ever done, but it’s been worth every second. To anyone who has doubts like I did, age is no barrier – you are never too old as I once thought.
“And to say my close student friends ranged from 21 to 50 proves we are all in it together, it is achievable, it is possible, if you want it, go and get it!”
Stephanie hopes to become an educational mental health practitioner with the NHS and is looking forward to the opportunity to work across education and healthcare to provide mental health support for children and young people in schools and colleges.
Both students continued to enjoy their passion for volunteering and their experiences helped them realise what they wanted to do after their degrees.
Mia volunteered with Everton in the Community (EitC), Everton FC’s charity, through the Tackling the Blues programme, a multi-award-winning sport and arts-based mental health and wellbeing programme for children and young people led by EitC and Edge Hill.
”I gained a vast amount of experience, and it allowed me to develop personally by gaining skills for life,” she said.
While continuing to work part-time as a teaching assistant, Stephanie volunteered at Barnardos for 12 months, learning about cognitive behavioural therapy and had 1-2-1 sessions with children which gave her an insight into what could be implemented in schools for their mental health.
To find out more about the School of Allied Health, Social Work and Wellbeing, and studying at Edge Hill, visit our course webpages or come along to our next open days, Saturday 16 August,18 October and 15 November.
July 23, 2025
