Profile twenty

I am an eighteen year old student from Liverpool and currently live at home with my mother and two of my brothers. I have recently completed a BTEC National Certificate in Events Management at Liverpool Community College receiving a double grade Distinction and will be starting a degree in this subject, this September, at Liverpool John Moores University.

I have never thought of myself as an academic person. My experiences in secondary school were not positive and I left at the beginning of my fourth year and began working as a retail assistant at the weekends.  At the same time I was a member of Tate Liverpool’s ‘Young Tate’ group. I bonded with the co-coordinator of this group. She gave me the opportunity to take on more responsibilities within this group. I started a placement as a Young Tate Co-Coordinator and began to realize my passion for what I wanted to do in life. Whilst with Tate Liverpool I actively learned basic skills and knowledge needed within the events management field. I held my first event at the age of fifteen in 2006 with attendance of two hundred. This gave me a great   sense of achievement and the drive to gain the qualifications I needed to properly fulfill my passion.

I left Tate to join Liverpool Community College in 2007 and completed five GCSEs to give me enough grades to get on the National Certificate in Events Management in 2008. While completing this course I also completed an NVQ in Team Leadership as part of a work based learning programme through my current job as a retail manager. Throughout the past two years I have continued to work on various Tate  events – Liverpool Tatoo Convention, Liverpool Soundcity and under eighteens Clubnight Bassline 29.

Having lived in Liverpool my whole life and because of the work I have done, I am extremely familiar with various venues and events within the city. In addition to this the city’s Capital of Culture win and all the events surrounding it led me to believe it would be unwise for me to study anywhere but Liverpool. Along with this reason, it is also extremely important for me to stay close to my family right now.

I was very unsure about carrying on to university, feeling worried about student debt and myself not succeeding. I applied to the trust fund for an arms-length of reasons. I am not the type of person to ask for help and tell others about my personal issues but my drive to do the best that I can at this subject made me apply. I can now take a huge weight from my shoulders and know that I can devote more of my time to studying rather than working.  I now know that I will have the money to pay for essentials.

I have found that it has been the people around me in life that have helped me feel like I’m stepping in the right direction with my life by giving me opportunities and advice and helping me to realize that I can achieve something. I don’t think the John Moran Trustees actually realize the gift that they have given me – because it isn’t just money to buy books and pay rent. They have given me a bigger opportunity to make something of myself and succeed. It is incredibly motivating to know that the trustees believe in me enough to give me this award.

I would like to express my gratitude to the trustees. I know it will make such a difference to my life – during and after university.

I've now completed my first year of university and will be starting my second year in September. I can whole heartedly say it has been one of the best years of my life. I've met so many new friends and as a result  my self confidence has gone through the roof. I never thought that going to university could do so much for someone’s personal developments. I have found myself to be a much happier person with a bright outlook on my future.

University was pretty much what I expected on an academic level but socially it exceeded my expectations. The university has offered us paid work within our industries and as a result I was able to work on ‘Cheshire Business Awards’ with the Trinity Mirror Group and have also worked as a Student Mentor on Liverpool John Moore’s Summer School for school leavers, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The grant given to me by The John Moran Trust has enabled me to move out of my family home which has given me the independence that I now realise was much needed and put a perspective on the responsibilities of my life. It has meant that I have the space needed to concentrate on my studies and have a stronger relationship with my family. I was also able to buy a laptop (I honestly could not have got through last year without it!). The most important aspect of my university life which the grant has helped me with is being able to work less without a large amount of worry, it meant that I was able to focus more on my studies and devote more time to university which has in turn paid off on receipt of my results.

I have continued to work on other events over the summer including a charity auction for Amnesty International and Liverpool Tattoo Convention.

Every time I think about the John Moran trust fund I am still amazed at their generosity and again I thank them and want people to know that they do so much more for a person than helping them get a higher education. I’m really looking forward to starting again in September and seeing my friends

I have now completed my second year at university. My second year has proved to be a difficult one in many aspects, I have found it a difficult balancing act with my work, social, family and university life and as a result have left my position as an assistant manager in a retail store. This was a difficult decision to make and had to be well thought out in relation to my finances, however it was the overall importance of my university work that had to take priority.

In my second year I chose to miss two assignment hand-ins due to illness and as a result had to complete to summer re-sits which I am still currently awaiting, I have a positive outlook that I will have passed these assessments and will make it into my third year which I am excitedly anticipating.
In my second year I have again created more new rewarding friendships and experience through the work based learning opportunities given to us by our lecturers, I have worked on various conferences in the BT Convention centre and charity events. I have continued working with a local events company throughout the year and as a result had the opportunity to work as a supervisor at Creamfields festival this summer. I feel that the past twelve months have given me a more realistic outlook on the world of work after university. I am also more aware of  the importance of prioritizing what is actually important in my life. I am looking forward to entering my final year and have already begun work on my dissertation which will look into cultural events within Liverpool and their impact on the social world.
 Again, I cannot thank the trustees and John Moran enough, especially for staying in contact with me when I have faced difficulties, the support from them is so motivating to carry on and do the best I possibly can. 

This student successfully completed her second year