{"id":26511,"date":"2024-12-23T08:24:01","date_gmt":"2024-12-23T08:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/?p=26511"},"modified":"2024-12-19T16:25:13","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T16:25:13","slug":"ou-study-helped-me-move-on-from-the-past-it-changed-my-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/education-languages-health\/ou-study-helped-me-move-on-from-the-past-it-changed-my-life\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018OU study helped me move on from the past \u2013 it changed my life\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Growing up in difficult circumstances, Ayesha, 38, never imagined that her ambition of achieving a degree was within reach, until an opportunity to empower others gave her the confidence to chase her dream.<\/p>\n

Now in the final year of a Health and Social Care degree<\/a> with The Open University (OU), Ayesha describes how much higher education means to her, and shares why she thinks the OU is the perfect way to achieve your goals.<\/p>\n

A tough start<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As a teenager, Ayesha yearned to fulfil her academic potential but wasn\u2019t offered the same learning opportunities as the men in her family.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile my brothers were studying, I had to work two jobs to earn money for the family,\u201d Ayesha reflects. \u201cI always dreamed of getting a degree and even imagined myself wearing a gown at my graduation ceremony, but I feared it would never happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Ayesha found the strength to flee her family home and seek refuge, she discovered a passion for helping other women to take control of their future.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife was hard growing up and I knew I wanted more, so my stay in a refuge was a fresh start for me,\u201d said Ayesha.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of my fellow residents struggled with English and I was able to help them navigate the health and social care system, supporting them with paperwork and appointments, or anything else they needed to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s never too late<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Finding happiness with her husband and starting a family together, Ayesha was able to build a happy home life and finally start thinking about her future.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I told my husband that I wanted to study, he was so supportive,\u201d Ayesha remembers. \u201cHe told me to go for it and said he would be proud of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Undeterred by her lack of formal qualifications, Ayesha was determined not only to achieve her ambition of getting a degree, but to carve a rewarding career path.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was helping women on an informal basis, I realised that I wanted to train in social care and work with survivors of domestic abuse,\u201d says Ayesha.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking an OU Access course was the first step – having been out of education for a long time, it gave me the confidence to carry on and study at a higher level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Study that fits in with life<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As a busy mum of young children, Ayesha grabs time to study whenever she can.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe flexibility at the OU makes it possible for me to juggle everything,\u201d Ayesha explains. \u201cI can pick up my studies when my daughters are sleeping, so it works really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ayesha adds, \u201cI can\u2019t wait to take my daughters to my graduation and show them that you can do anything you set your mind to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ayesha hopes that her story will inspire others struggling to find the confidence to go after their dream.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can do this, anyone can! I\u2019ve been recommending the OU everyone because it\u2019s the perfect way to achieve your goals,\u201d says Ayesha.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had amazing support from everyone at the OU. My studies gave me purpose and helped me move on from the past. \u2013 the OU changed my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Growing up in difficult circumstances, Ayesha, 38, never imagined that her ambition of achieving a degree was within reach, until an opportunity to empower others gave her the confidence to chase her dream. Now in the final year of a Health and Social Care degree with The Open University (OU), Ayesha describes how much higher […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":26513,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,18],"tags":[862,1525,1643,2142],"class_list":["post-26511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education-languages-health","category-student-stories","tag-faculty-of-wels","tag-news-home","tag-ou-news","tag-student-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26511"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26514,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26511\/revisions\/26514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}