What job/study are you doing right now and tell us a little about it?
I am currently studying in my final year of a Business Degree with the University of Chester, after successfully gaining a place on the HND course at St Helens College.
Did you do any further/higher education?
My further education included studying at St Helens College from 2010, gaining qualifications in Level 2 Business (GCSE), Level 3 (A level) and finally level 5 (HND). I decided from day 1 of starting the college, I knew it was the right decision and wanted to stay on from there on in.
How did you decide on your career path and what is/was most interesting about your work?
I decided my career path from the moment of leaving primary school and had my education planned out ever since. I knew that once I had finished my time in primary school, I wanted to succeed in high school, then progress onto college. I never really knew if I had the potential to go through to university but persistence had pushed me to be my best and I started to believe in myself once more. The most interesting part of being in University is the size of the classes, with most universities the class sizes can range from 70-200 students, but our class size remains below 30 students, so therefore there is more time with the tutors and being able to get help with work if a problem occurs. The tuition fees are also lower than those of main stream universities, making the course more attractive to potential new students. The course also gives an insight into the world of business and how they operate, this can range from the HR department through to the management, different theorists can also be looked at in detail when studying a business degree.
Can you share a couple of fond memories of your time at St Cuthbert's?
There are so many different memories that I could choose from, from my time at St Cuthberts, but I would have to say that one of my fondest memories would be the Alton Towers trips that happened every year, there was always a buzz of excitement when the time of the trip was just around the corner and students knew that the permission forms would soon be handed out. Another fond memory would be the leavers prom for the class of 2005, this was a time when we all knew that we were growing up into young men and women and soon be entering the big wide world on our own. The prayer was read out before the meal by Thomas Austin, there was just one silent moment then sudden round of applause after the prayer was read out, there was magic in the air that night. A final fond moment I have for my time at St Cuthberts would be, being a member of the performing arts team from year 7 through to year 11, being able to put on a production and being able to put a smile on the faces of the audience, especially celebrating the 50th anniversary of St Cuthberts.
Did you have a favourite/influential teacher? What made them so important to you?
I must say that Mr McAuley was always one of the influential teachers, he never failed to make you smile, either with jokes are just simply smiling, you knew then that the bad day turned into good. Mrs Evans (English) taught me to go for my dreams and always saw the potential in my writing during GCSE years, without the support I dont think I would have got through my English GCSE exams. Mrs Gallimore taught me to be part of a family and taught me that I can go and follow my dreams, I was never second best. She looked out for me from day 1 and even when I went through a really bad patch during year 8, she helped me through. She always saw the children of St Cuthberts as family and saw the staff in a parent role to all of the students. One quote will always stay with me and that is "once a cuthies kid, always a cuthies kid". Miss Anderson taught me to express my feelings through the expression of drama and let me be myself. She was also there through my toughest time in year 11 and believed that I could carry on through to the end, she always assured me that the office door was always open if I just needed a chat or to calm down.
What advice would you give our current students?
A piece of advice I would give to the current students would be, no matter how hard you think the teachers are being on you, they are just looking out for you and trying to bring the best out in you. Also dont take time for granted, you will soon be graduating before you know it and sitting the most important exams of your life.
Name: Rebecca Boland