STUDENT STORIES
Robyn Hinxman
Robyn enrolled at Blackburne House after deciding on a career change, choosing the Access to HE Healthcare course to fill a qualification gap holding her back from social work. Following an ADHD diagnosis, she found support at Blackburne House from her tutors and peers and went on to make Blackburne House history as the first student to progress straight from the Access course to a Master’s degree. She is now studying an Integrated Practitioner Masters in Child Nursing and Social Work and looking forward to a career supporting children through social work.
Sophie Childs
Sophie came to study at Blackburne House after struggling with her mental health and a breakdown in care transitions as a young person. Her life experiences motivated her to study Healthcare and pursue a career in transforming young people's lives through mental health support. Sophie never imagined herself going to university, she found confidence at Blackburne House and completed both the Level 2 and Access to He Healthcare courses, and she has progressed to studying Childhood and Youth & Psychology at Liverpool Hope University.
Ellie-Mae Mulry
Ellie-Mae enrolled on the Access to Healthcare Professions course in 2018. She initially had little confidence in herself, and was worried about juggling her course with supporting her daughter as a single mum. She was able to find support at Blackburne House and balanced studying with motherhood and working in Blackburne House Bistro. Upon completing her course, Ellie-Mae was accepted to study Psychology at Edge Hill University. She has excelled in her studies and her confidence and is now studying a Masters degree in Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Sophie Martinez
Sophie began her journey at Blackburne House in 2021, completing Health and Social Care Level 2 before progressing to Pre-Access, which gave her the confidence to pursue her Access course. With strong support from tutors and peers, she discovered a passion for learning and decided to continue her education, earning a place at Liverpool John Moores University, where she now studies Criminal Justice and Forensic Psychology. Her time at Blackburne House was pivotal for her, providing guidance and encouragement that helped her realise she wanted to carry on with her education journey.
Yosra Mekni Habbachi
Yosra completed her degree in Management and Information Systems in Tunisia before moving to Liverpool in 2011. She started her journey at Blackburne House by enrolling on an ESOL course to improve her English. After working hard to build her language skills, she enrolled on the GCSE Maths & English courses, which qualified her to study at Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated from university in 2022 with a Masters degree in Computing and Information Systems. Her tutors at Blackburne House encouraged her to follow her dream of becoming a secondary school teacher, and she is now working as a Maths tutor while still pursuing her teaching goals.
Tia Welch
Tia completed her Bachelors degree in Business Management in 2019 before starting her job at Blackburne House as a Data Compliance Officer. During her time working at Blackburne House, Tia was inspired to enrol on the Award in Education and Training after seeing how much of a positive impact training has on the women who study at Blackburne House. Completing this course gave her the confidence to enrol on both the IT User Skills and Assessors courses, which will help her to further her career and build her skills. Tia has balanced work, studying and raising her son as a single mother and has successfully started teaching at Blackburne House, becoming a part of our team of tutors.
Kate Smith
Kate enrolled on the Access to Higher Education Healthcare Professions course in 2021. She juggled her Access course with taking care of her 4 children, 3 of whom have additional needs. During her course, Kate managed to strike a balance between her home life and her studies, and her confidence in her own abilities soared. Kate applied to Liverpool John Moores University and received an unconditional offer to study Nursing. Since graduating from Blackburne House, Kate has gone from strength to strength with her Higher Education and has found her calling in Nursing.
Lauren McCall
Lauren enrolled at Blackburne House to complete her Maths and English GCSEs, and was soon inspired to enrol on the Certificate in Creative Arts. Here, she found her passion for painting and started her own business selling custom made canvas art. After graduating from Blackburne House, Lauren undertook further study in Art and Design before doing an apprenticeship in Content Production. Her apprenticeship led to a full time job in Social Media and Marketing, and she is progressing in her career and looking forward to expanding her role with a team of her own.
Ellah Hughes
Ellah came to study at Blackburne House in 2019 after initially struggling in her previous college due to her mental health. She completed the Level 2 Diploma in Healthcare and set her sights on university. To make this dream a reality, Ellah enrolled on the Access to Healthcare programme, where she excelled academically. Ellah's confidence grew during her time at Blackburne House both in and out of the classroom. Ellah pushed herself to try new things with her newfound confidence, and found new passions for poetry and mixed martial arts. Her achievements at Blackburne House helped her to gain a place to study Mental Health Nursing at university, where she is now thriving in her learning.
Cheila Aline Lemonges Guerra
Cheila is from Brazil and she moved to Liverpool from Italy with her husband and children in 2019. She graduated in Metallurgy in Brazil. She has a passion for cake design and event decoration, and when she arrived in Liverpool she started her small baking business serving the Brazilian community. After starting the ESOL course at Blackburne House, she was able to expand her business and bake for the general public as her tutors helped her to improve her communication skills and settle into her new life in the UK. With her new found confidence and English language skills, she hopes to further expand her business so more customers can enjoy her beautiful cakes.