Exhibition: The Open Programme

JEAN WOODWARD

“I began my journey towards a degree when my son was studying for his GCSEs,” explains Jean. “I decided to take a literature class at college to help understand and motivate his studies. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful teacher who opened the door to the joys of structured study. I followed this with an A Level in Literature and History.

When a work colleague discussed her own Open University degree course, Jean realised it was the chance she had been waiting for. Now in her fifties, she enrolled for an BA (Hons) Open Degree, focusing on modules that explored her favourite subjects of literature and history.

For the first half of her degree, Jean was working full-time in a role which was miles away from the world of her studies.  “My degree was like a secret life that inspired, fulfilled and opened my mind. I hugged it to myself.”

Sadly, Jean’s studies came to an abrupt halt when her husband was diagnosed with cancer.  “After a period of treatment, I tried briefly to return but the cancer returned, and I suppose I felt that it wasn’t meant to be. It wasn't until I retired and, sadly, lost my husband that I realised that my degree option had only a few years to run, and that is when the dream returned.”

After several years of hard work, Jean completed her degree aged 72 and says the realisation that she had done it took quite a while to sink in. Reflecting on her degree ceremony, Jean says it was a day which she shall remember for the rest of her life. 

“I felt very emotional, sitting with hundreds of fellow students who had been on the same journey as me; all of us connected by this thirst for knowledge and achievement. I thought of my own journey, of my lovely family supporting me and of those I had lost on the way. I thought of my son who had been unfailingly supportive and whose 'I'm proud of you Mum' meant so much.”

As Jean is retired, her degree hasn’t led to a new career, however, it has changed her outlook and her confidence: “The confidence it has given me in my daily interaction and my sense of self, the way I view the world, has added an immeasurable richness to my life and cannot be properly quantified.”

“To anyone like me, who lacked confidence and felt that they had not achieved their potential I would say, ‘Don't be afraid, there are such riches to be found in a return to education’. The OU is a family and will support you; just take that first step.”