My journey with education has been anything but conventional. From a young age, I was drawn to fairness, equality, and standing up for the underdog. Perhaps it came from being the only girl in my family, the middle child, being diagnosed with a chronic illness early in life, or becoming a teenage mother at 19. Whatever the cause, I developed a strong moral compass, a healthy dislike of injustice, and an ability to advocate (sometimes fiercely) for myself. I taught myself how the world works, how to argue a point well, and how to keep going when things got tough. More than once, I was told I should work in law and use my skill and experience to “stick up for the little guy.”

When my daughter arrived unexpectedly at 19, I stepped away from third-level education and built a career in hospitality instead. I worked my way up through sheer determination, eventually reaching senior leadership. While it was a successful career, it was demanding, and the feeling that I was meant to do something more meaningful never quite left me. I often talked about returning to education, I often daydreamed a new career, but things didn’t align quite right for me to do this until my mid-thirties.

At that point, I made a decisive change. I left hospitality and took on a role with an NGO, working in the area of workplace mental health and wellbeing service. Once again, I found myself drawn to the legal elements of the work; employment law, human rights, advocacy. No matter the role, the law was always the part that truly excited me.

I was running out of excuse not to take a stab at Law when I discovered the TUS bachelor of arts in law, which were delivered predominantly online and which was so local to me as a midlands resident, it actually felt like this could work for me as a busy working mum. I finally enrolled alongside a small group of peers, most of us mature students juggling full-time work, parenting, caregiving, and relationships. We were ambitious, likeminded, and slightly exhausted…. but deeply committed. Our study groups, WhatsApp chats, and mutual support carried us through four intense years. Along the way, I formed lifelong friendships, learned a great deal about myself, and developed skills that had always been there but needed time (and confidence) to grow.

The lecturers at TUS made a lasting impression on me. They understood the realities of mature students and met us with flexibility, kindness, and encouragement. Their belief in us, combined with their honesty and humour about their own careers, made success feel possible. They were down to earth, available and realistic about their students and over the four years of study, we all came to like them quite a bit.

During those four years, life continued at full volume. I had another daughter, moved house, navigated profound bereavement, and took on a major renovation project. One of my proudest moments was enrolling my eldest daughter, (my greatest motivation and my original inspiration for every success in life), at TUS as well. The fact that I now am a TUS alumni ambassador and my daughter is a TUS student is a pinch me moment for me, and very solid evidence of the positive effect TUS has had on me. She is now studying psychology and is enjoying her experience at TUS just as much as I did and she tells me that my journey inspired her. My middle daughter who struggles with dyslexia tells me, if I can have what I want in my career despite it all, she knows she will too. That, more than any award, is my greatest achievement.

In my final year of study, I discovered alternative dispute resolution and went on to complete a mediation qualification. My law studies not only sparked this interest but also enabled me to access the course and gave me confidence to study alongside practising barristers who also

undertook this mediation course. This year, I am continuing my training in separating couples’ mediation and am now available for referrals. I plan to build a practice in this area once my studies are complete.

On my graduation day, my husband and my three daughters stood beside me as I accepted my first class honours degree. It was a family achievement. They made sacrifices too, but I know that the sacrifice has thought them that it’s never too late to change direction, that you should always believe in yourself despite what the rest of the world might think or say and that hard work does pay off.

This course changed the trajectory of my life, something 19-year-old me could never have imagined and I am beyond grateful for everyone at TUS who supported me along the way.