Sophie Heaton

Operations Manager (Activities & Projects)

Growing up as the eldest sister to two younger brothers, I used to do quite a lot of babysitting, helping them with homework etc. From this, I knew that I wanted to work with children and teaching seemed like the obvious choice. I decided to study for a degree in History and train to be a teacher afterwards.

I loved my time at university for the friends that I made and independence that I hadn’t felt before. Alongside my studies, I was also able to get a lot more experience working with children and get paid for it too! Once I graduated and completed my teacher training, I spent five happy, but tough, years teaching and even got jobs working in international schools abroad. I used to think I would stay in teaching forever, but I learned that there are actually lots of jobs that involve working with children.

I’ve now worked for GM Higher for five years and love it! My advice to you would be to not get too fixated on where you are going to end up. Instead, make choices that feel right at the time, and be open to learning from your experiences.

Ian McGarry

Operations Manager

I left school at age 16 with a clutch of strong GCSE grades and determined to cut it in the world of journalism. I didn’t progress past the local newspaper. It took me until the age of 23 to wake-up and realise that university was the answer. Manchester Met University gave me a chance – despite the fact that I had no A Levels to my name.

University opened my mind. I met some brilliant people. It gave me the confidence to get on in my career. I was the first member of my family to go into higher education. I didn’t get the Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) I needed, at age 16. I didn’t think people “like me” went to university. I just wanted a job and to earn some money.

Fast forward to today and there’s never been a greater need for impartial, accurate and tailored IAG to help young people understand the choices they have – and all the possibilities.

Mark Burke

Monitoring and Evaluation Manager

My parents moved to the UK from Jamaica in the 1960s as part of the Windrush Generation, where my father continued his career as a minister. Although my father never formally attended a higher education establishment, he taught in a number of teaching positions within the church.

Like many of my peers, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I left school, so I stayed on at sixth form for a year and then attended a local further education college for 3 years and part-time through my first and second job roles where I gained BTEC qualifications. Also at the time, in a brave new world, I gained a number of typing qualifications. Remember this was pre-Microsoft Windows and desktop pcs!

I have got better as I’ve aged and have engaged with a number of courses throughout my career and completed amongst other things, an ILM Level 5 qualification in Leadership & Management.

Jess Edington

Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

Growing up, I was never sure whether university was for me. My sister did a teaching degree when I was a child (she beat me to being the first in the family to go to university!) but I never had a clear idea of what career I wanted to pursue. My parents didn’t pressure me either way—the decision was mine to make.

I didn’t finish my A-levels, and after eighteen months  after dropping out of college, I decided university was the best path for me after all. After lots of research into how to get there without A-levels, I applied for an Access to Higher Education Diploma in Archaeology and Ancient History at The Manchester College. I absolutely loved the course, and I’ll always be grateful for having that opportunity to go on to higher education when the traditional path hadn’t worked for me.

I did my degree in History at Keele, where I got stuck in to campus life, made life-long friends, and learned skills that have helped me in the workplace and in the wider world. I then went on to do a part-time Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations at the University of Birmingham.

It’s great to be able to apply the skills and experience I’ve learnt during my time in higher education to my current role—and to be able to contribute to a project that supports young people who, like I did, might need a little guidance about the different options available to them after they finish school.

Emma Lo

Projects Co-ordinator

Growing up I knew I wanted to go to Uni but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study. In the end, I chose to do a degree in History with Sociology, as history was my best subject at school.

As I was living in Hong Kong at the time, most of my research was on the internet as well as from my teachers and parents. I went to the University of York, but didn’t actually see the campus until moving in day! Looking back I wish I’d had more guidance about the variety of programmes on offer and how they differ.

While I enjoyed being a student at York, the course wasn’t really for me, as it was very different subject-wise from the history that I’d enjoyed at school. While I wouldn’t say I regret my choice, I do hope to help others be better informed about their options. This experience has certainly influenced my choice to work within advice and guidance. It also led to me wanting to pursue a part-time Master’s Degree in International Relations, which I completed a bit later on in life. The second time around I was much better informed and picked something I knew I’d really enjoy studying.

Kitty D'Lazarus

Administrator

From a young age, education had always been a big priority for me. Being the first in my family to go to university and having a disability, meant that I encountered more obstacles than most young people do. However, these challenges did not hinder my motivation, after my GCSE’s I continued to study A-Levels at my school’s sixth form and went on to graduate with a Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice degree in 2020.
One thing that really aided my journey was my experience with peer support I received from a theatre group and an LGBT+ support group. Although these were not education-focused, these groups made me recognise the importance of having a system of peers that could offer guidance when I needed it.
During my undergraduate studies, I had the opportunity to work as a student advocate for my university. Not only did this give me the chance to earn some money, but I also had the chance to support those who may encounter similar difficulties that I did during my educational journey. Getting to motivate and guide those who wish to pursue higher education was a role that I found very rewarding and knew was something I had to pursue further.