Sam Kalubowila

Head of Greater Manchester Higher

My parents moved to London from Sri Lanka in the 1970s to further their own education and my first HE experience was at the University of London’s nursery as a baby! As the eldest of three, I was expected to go to university to set a good example to my younger siblings.

My A-levels didn’t go exactly to plan, but I was lucky and found a place at Sheffield Hallam University through Clearing and started a BSc in Business & Technology. However, part way into my degree I realised I’d made the wrong choice AGAIN, and with the support of academic and pastoral staff, I took a place on a combined studies course in the faculty of humanities, which allowed me to tailor my degree. During my final year, I had the opportunity to work for my university as a student ambassador, supporting young people to help them make decisions about their future. This inspired me to work in the field of widening participation, which I have done since my graduation (2:1 with honours, thanks for asking) in 2003.

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

Information, Advice and Guidance 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.

Sarah Starkey

Marketing and Communications Lead

I was one of the first in my family to go to uni, (it’s a shame my graduation photo is so bad and still hangs in my parents’ front room!) My mum was keen for me to apply, and sometimes, Mums know best.

Whilst I was in sixth form, I wasn’t sure whether university would be for me, I found the idea quite daunting – not knowing anyone, being somewhere new, but when I went to visit the University of Lancaster I realised it was the uni for me and now, I wish I could do it all again.

My degree has provided me with skills that have helped a lot in the workplace, from confidence and independence to organisation and self-motivation. Studying a subject I was really interested in helped me focus, and meeting new people helped to ‘bring me out of my shell’.

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

Outreach Hub Lead

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.

George Kenyon

Outreach Assistant

Due to my early experiences with dyslexia, the prospect of attending university never felt realistic. However, I was lucky to have the encouragement of my parents to help drive me forward and after an initial struggle at A-Level, I achieved grades BBC.

I felt that I could use my experiences to help others so I enrolled on a BA Education Studies degree at York St John University. During my course, I undertook a work placement at a York based charity for children with SEN alongside volunteering with the York Museums Trust. This experience highlighted to me the important role outreach provides in reaching students who may otherwise miss opportunities.

Following my undergraduate degree, I worked for York St John’s Student Recruitment and Widening Participation team organising campus visits and attending school outreach activities. I then earned a Merit in my Masters at Durham University, an achievement that I previously believed would not have been possible. After spending 5 years in the North East and Yorkshire, I felt the call of home and returned to the North West, where I now work with learners across Greater Manchester.

Tracy Scott

Outreach Assistant

I grew up in Partington which has one of the lowest rates of participation in HE in Greater Manchester. At the time I had to make a choice about university – 38.5% of people in my area had no qualifications at all and the government decided to introduce tuition fees. I loved learning though and really wanted to go. My school gave great support in terms of explaining finance and the application process and my parents were very supportive of my chosen university. I was very lucky and feel without that support I might not have gone. At university, I felt I had already achieved just by being there, but had to work a number of jobs to support myself. I didn’t understand until later there were bursaries I could have applied for or that discussing that struggle to balance everything with my personal tutor might have meant getting support. I have a degree and a PGCE and feel it is really important to support people to understand their HE choices and ‘level up’ the playing field throughout their course of study.

Kitty D'Lazarus

Outreach Assistant

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.