A student, who has exceeded even her own expectations, is celebrating after winning a place at university after completing a course at Redcar & Cleveland College.

Heather McLeod, completed the Access to Health course and is now going on to study a degree in Nursing Studies at the University of Teesside.

Heather initially joined the college on the part-time Amspar Medical Receptionist course in 2007 and following the completion of this course decided that she wished to continue studying and fulfil a lifelong ambition to take up a career in nursing.

Talking about her time at Redcar & Cleveland College, Heather says:

“I was initially really nervous about coming back to college after such a long time out of education, but with the support of my family and the tutors at the college I was able to find a course that really suited me and fitted around the other commitments I have in my life.

“The first day was a bit nerve racking and I felt like the oldest student in the college, but I soon settled in and started to enjoy the course.

“Towards the end of the Amspar course my tutors started talking to me about what I wanted to do next and suggested that I consider the Access to Health course as a route to take me through to university.

“I’d never thought about going down a route that would lead me to university, but after some persuasion I enrolled on the course starting in September 2008.

“The Access course was challenging at times, but was really enjoyable and I now can’t wait to go on to university this September!”

Angela Ince, Heather’s tutor on the Access course, said:

“Heather’s initial uncertainty about taking up a place on the Access course is something that a lot of students experience initially, but once she got started on the course she exceeded both her tutors and her own expectations.

Over the two years she has attended Redcar & Cleveland College it has been very humbling to see how much she has grown in confidence and stature, and how well she is now prepared to enter a level of education she did not consider was for her.

Heather is not the only Redcar student to taste success on the Access programme this year.

All of the students on the Access to Humanities course have gained places on degree or higher-level courses, whilst many of the Access to Health students are going on to study further higher-level qualifications.

Gary Groom, Principal of Redcar & Cleveland College, said:

“What Heather and the other students on the Access courses have achieved is absolutely fantastic and demonstrates how when a student raises their aspirations they can achieve their ambitions in life.

“We’re finding increasingly that people are deciding to come back to college to develop existing or new skills and with the college offering a range of routes through into higher education many are surprising themselves with how far they can go.”