Young mum who found success at Coventry University
LAURA Brindley was told to forget about her education when she fell pregnant aged 18 – but instead found her calling in biomedical science after going into Clearing just days before her son was born.
That decision has led her to triumph in her studies and win an award for a medical device she thought up during her placement year.
Laura, from Leicestershire, planned to study for a nursing master’s in Nottingham - but after becoming pregnant knew it was too far to travel.
Instead, she went into Clearing to find a place closer to home and was soon achieving her dreams at Coventry – a group which offers a range of flexible learning options at CU Coventry, and degree courses for undergraduate and postgraduate study across four faculties at Coventry University.
Laura, now 22, decided to take a foundation year in Health and Life Sciences at CU Coventry (formerly Coventry University College) – starting when her son Tyler was just a few weeks old.
She balanced motherhood, studying and evening shifts as a carer to graduate with a first before progressing to a Degree in Biomedical Science at Coventry University.
She said: “I knew that Nottingham wasn’t an option and it felt like the end of the world. But when I rang Coventry they gave me so many different options.
“I was confused about what I wanted to study, but the girl I spoke to on the phone was just so positive, it really made a massive difference.
“My foundation year really stood me in good stead and I’ve really enjoyed the course.
“I’m so happy I decided to study this as it is really fulfilling.
“I had no idea what part of science I wanted to do when I was 18.
“I wanted to care for people and help people, and now I am able to fulfil that by applying the science to innovation in disease treatment and medication.”
Laura also gained a qualification from the Chartered Management Institute at the university, and while on placement with Nemaura Pharma Ltd won a Woman Who...Rising Star award for a medical device she designed to help with chronic illness. Laura added: “I was a single mum, on my own at 18 and everybody told me ‘you can’t have your education, forget about succeeding in life,’ but I didn’t let them stop me.”