Sabrina Mundtazir gained a 2:1 in Adult Nursing at the University of Huddersfield. She is now working as a nurse at a hospital in the north east after graduating in 2021, specialising in care for patients with head and neck injuries.

“I came to the UK as a refugee from Somalia nearly 10 years ago, I did not speak English and arrived with a cousin, who chose to go to London when we arrived. I didn’t want to go to London, and soon I was with a lovely foster family in the north east.

“My foster mum was always helpful and there for me, she motivated me to do better for myself and I especially loved going to school. In Somalia, I had never had the opportunity to go to school at all.

“I had thought about nursing and maybe being a midwife, but after I had a baby I took a gap year and realised adult nursing was what I really wanted to do. You can help people of all ages, and especially working with the elderly is quite rewarding.

“A friend was at Huddersfield and she told me a lot of good things about care leavers, how helpful they are and that there was always a lot of help. She even introduced me to some of the staff who look after care leavers beforehand.

“As a care leaver, I had all the support that I needed. There was always someone there for me whenever I needed help, even with something like childcare. Even my lecturers would help, everyone tried their best, and I didn’t struggle.

“I’ve needed help with my English, but I had academic support and help if I had any emotional issues. There was always someone to talk to if I needed help with my mental health as well as academic issues.

“I also became the first care leaver to represent Huddersfield with the Office For Students during my first year, where I helped give students a voice about their university experience and especially those that were in care.

“It’s a beautiful university that gives a lot of support, especially for care leavers. The support I had was like being part of a family, and I felt like the University prioritised me as a care leaver. They gave me that extra help when I needed it. Anyone in care thinking of going to a university should not give up. If I can do it, anyone can.

“When I was at FE college, I never said I was a care leaver – but when I was at Huddersfield, I felt free to say it. They made me feel like family, I felt that connection to the University and I wasn’t embarrassed to say I was a care leaver.”

 

With credit to University of Huddersfield