Articles

From the West End stage to the laboratory

TLDRoffon

After the pandemic caused her to reconsider her career as a West End makeup artist, Tanya decided to return to university to fulfil her ambition to work in healthcare.

Tanya Kennedy was working as a makeup artist in the glitz and glamour of London's West End when the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020. When the shows which she was working on closed suddenly, she was forced to reconsider her options.

In this crisis, however, she saw an opportunity to return to university.

"I enjoyed what I did but I didn’t love it," she says. "I was considering a change of career, but I was quite scared to make the jump as I had invested a lot of time and money into my training.

"It became increasingly obvious that a biology degree is what I needed to move forward as most of the careers I was looking at were in medicine or healthcare."

Key conversations helped Tanya decide

Tanya Kennedy, BSc Biology

Fast forward a year, and Tanya is fulfilling her ambition of studying biology at the University of Greenwich.

This was actually a return to the subject for Tanya, who had previously completed two years elsewhere. Therefore, she was able to start in the second year.

"After speaking to the course leader for biology (Dr Abigail Rickard) before my application, we agreed that starting again at Year 2 would be the best option, as it had been some time since I had studied.

"It would be a good opportunity to come out with a better degree."

Due to the pandemic, Tanya was not able to visit the campus before enrolling. However, she did attend an online open day, and had some important conversations to address her doubts.

"I knew of the University of Greenwich through friends and family who had studied there, and they had all told me great things," she says.

"I also spoke to the course leader before I applied, and she was helpful with all my questions.

"I was quite nervous coming back to study in my 30s. This communication with Dr Rickard really helped me decide to choose Greenwich.”

Lab work continues with safe social distancing

The practical elements of science degrees have been affected by social distancing requirements. Nonetheless, Tanya has still been able to get some laboratory time over her first semesters.

"Although we had to adhere to social distancing rules, we still got to get into the laboratories and get hands-on for our genetics and cell biology modules," she explains.

"It was slightly different as we couldn’t use some pieces of equipment to avoid overcrowding, but we still got to use gel electrophoresis and the spectrophotometer during these labs."

How has she found her relationships with professors and other students during these unusual times?

"Lecturers have always emailed me back quickly with any of my questions, and I ask a lot!" she says. "They have done everything they can to accommodate me and ensure that I wasn’t being left behind.

"Though I haven’t met most of my fellow students, as I wasn’t here in first year, they have all been so lovely.

"We all help each other out, even if it’s just recommending books or YouTube videos to help us understand something that we are struggling with."

Mature students "bring renewed passion"

Dr Abigail Rickard says Tanya is the perfect example of how mature students adapt well back into university life. She welcomes others in Tanya's situation to consider further study.

"I have been incredibly proud of how Tanya has adapted to returning to study after a career in the arts and having previously studied at another institution - even more so because she has done so during a pandemic!" Dr Rickard says.

"We have welcomed lots of fantastic mature students into our biology programme community. Whether you are thinking of changing careers, returning to education after having children, or transferring from another institution, we have a variety of networks in place to make sure that you are fully supported during this transition.

"While coming to study biology as a mature student can feel rather daunting at first, our mature students offer the benefit of experience and renewed passion."

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