Mature student turns life around

Mum-of-four Joanne Rowe has graduated from Salford University

Joanne Rowe, 37, from Langley, Middleton, left school before completing her GCSEs and went out to work instead. She started a family and now has four children who are aged between 9 and 15.

Joanne had always wanted to get some qualifications but family issues at the time meant that she did not.

Joanne believes that education is important: “It enables you to advance in life career–wise. I come from a cycle of a family that is not academic and I think it is important to break that cycle. I want my kids to have career goals and so they need a good education behind them.”

So in a bid to break this cycle, Joanne decided to go back to education herself. She enrolled at Hopwood Hall College on an Access to GCSEs course, later surprising herself by progressing onto Access to Higher Education, a course which enables mature students to get into university.

Joanne loved going back to college. She was really nervous at first and did not think that she had ability to learn, because she did not do well academically at school.

“I never understood that it was important, but once I went back to education in 2005, I really loved it. After lectures, I would go home and look up more information on the internet. I didn’t want my children to feel neglected though, so I would wait until they were all in bed and then would study until 2am in the morning.”

After passing her Access to A-levels course, Joanne decided to study Psychology at Salford University. “I loved studying psychology at GCSE and before that I always wondered what made people tick,” she explained. “When I was 23 my mum became agoraphobic and it got me interested in what made her like that.”

Joanne has just graduated with an Upper Second Class degree from Salford University.

When asked what her hopes for the future are, Joanne said: “Ideally I would love to teach mature students, for example, the same sort of teaching that I got on the Access course at Hopwood Hall. If it wasn’t for those lecturers I wouldn’t be where I am now. Before I knew it I was filling out applications for university. I can’t believe I’ve got a degree. I’d like to teach adults that there is more to life and if I can do it anyone can!

I owe the lecturers so much, not only for supporting me but giving me belief and confidence. The teachers are an inspiration, many of them were actually mature access students like me, it gives you a big boast of confidence to know that the people that are teaching you so well used to be in exactly the same position as you. I wouldn’t be the person I was today without them.”

Joanne cannot wait for her Graduation Ceremony on 13 July at the Lowry in Salford. It will quite rightly be one of the proudest moments of her life.