About me
My passion for education ignited in 1998 when I embarked on my teacher career as a teacher of French and German at a high school in north Manchester. During this time, I had the privilege of leading the school’s involvement in the Excellence in Cities Programme, one of the earliest government initiatives aimed at tackling underrepresentation in English higher education. This experience, along with my own personal experience of being the first in my family to go to university, gave me a deep-rooted commitment to fostering inclusive and equitable educational opportunities for all students.
From there I joined The University of Manchester’s Widening Participation Team in 2003 to lead its mentoring programme for key stage 3 (age 11-14) pupils. Soon after joining the University, I saw a gap in its provision for sixth form students and established the Manchester Access Programme (MAP). MAP is a structured, skills development programme, targeted at young people across Greater Manchester from underrepresented backgrounds. Seeing students journey through the programme and onto successful careers has been one of my career highlights.
Working at The University of Manchester provided opportunities to collaborate with some amazing third sector organisations. I established the University’s first IntoUniversity Centre, a learning centre situated in north Manchester that supports young people to realise their ambitions and achieve their academic potential. I also led the creation of the University’s School Governor Initiative, supporting staff to take up these strategically important volunteer roles in partnership with Governors for Schools, a charitable organisation dedicated to assisting schools in the most disadvantaged areas fill their governor vacancies with skilled volunteers – of which I’m proud to say I was one!
I joined The University of Manchester a Widening Participation Officer and left in 2021 as Head of Widening of Widening Participation, leading a team of 25 dedicated staff. It has been amazing to see how this area of work has evolved and extended to include the whole of the student lifecycle, from access through to graduate employment and further study,
Volunteering alongside my professional career has enabled me to give back to my community and acquire many additional skills and experiences. As well as being a school governor, I’ve been a charity trustee and am currently volunteering with an organisation which aims to address the gender inequality in leadership positions across Greater Manchester, through offering free leadership coaching to women. Through these diverse roles I’ve had the privilege of connecting with inspiring individuals, expanding my knowledge and understanding of different sectors and organisations.
Outside of my professional and volunteer commitments, I look after mind, body and soul through reading, running and looking after my two cats!
Attending one of the Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace after receiving the Queen's Awards for Voluntary Service for The University of Manchester's School Governor Initiative