Mum-of-one graduates from Health & Social Care Assistant Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship
A mum-of-one has overcome a language barrier and personal loss to graduate from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).
Zohreh Nasr Abadi, originally from Iran, returned to education at age 38 by enrolling on to UCLan’s Health & Social Care Assistant Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship.
She began the work-based apprenticeship while working for social enterprise Six Degrees, a mental health and bereavement service based in Salford, in March 2020.
After facing several setbacks with her studies, including issues accessing learning materials following a visa delay, and the loss of a close friend, Zohreh’s resilience and hard work have been rewarded with a new role at the social enterprise as an assistant practitioner.
The mum to six-year-old daughter Rosa said: “I feel very happy and I am so glad I could finish the course successfully.
"It was also challenging to manage work, study and my personal life but I overcame these difficulties and I finished the course"
— New graduate Zohreh Nasr Abadi
“I got my bachelor’s degree from my home country when I was studying in my own language but deciding to go back to University after a big gap and studying in English was another challenge for me.
“It was also challenging to manage work, study and my personal life but I overcame these difficulties and I finished the course.”
Zohreh is grateful for the support she has received from her UCLan tutors and Six Degrees’ mentors and is looking forward to developing her knowledge further. She said: “My knowledge has increased a lot with regards to mental health. And my communication skills also have improved. I have experienced different situations while attending the course but all are life lessons learned.”
Zohreh now has a thirst for learning and added: “I’m thinking I will continue studying at University and enrol for the trainee psychological wellbeing practitioner course.”
She was one of nearly 4,000 students who graduated in front of family and friends at UCLan’s Preston City Campus this week.