Cowling mum’s family education (From Craven Herald)

Cowling mum’s family education

6:00pm Sunday 16th September 2012 in News

A Cowling woman has balanced a busy family life with her studies at university.

Now, at the age of 37, Michelle White, of Fold Lane, has graduated from Bradford University’s School of Health with a first class Bachelor of Science honours degree.

She started her university journey in March 2006 with a mortgage, one young child and a husband who had started a new job.

Seven years, two maternity breaks and two children later, Michelle achieved what many might have thought was impossible.

“It is possible to achieve it,” said Michelle, who is originally from Silsden . “You just have to be focused.

“Times were tough when I first started. My husband, Paul, had just started a brand new job as a train driver and was on a training salary. But we thought ‘if we don’t do this now, we never will’.”

Michelle had done a nursing course and earned an advanced diploma, but she wanted to “top up” her education with degree.

She already had one child, Mollie, who is now nine, but then, Alfie, four, was born in April 2008 and Eddie, three, came along in July 2009.

In between looking after her young family, Michelle started to do full-time placement at Ramsay Healthcare’s Yorkshire Clinic in Bingley, as well as writing essays for her coursework.

Michelle is interested in getting into palliative care.