“I couldn’t afford the fee to release my LNAT results. I had no support and no cash to spare”

Although I was very academic and in the top sets for everything, exams were the last thing on my mind when it was time to sit GCSEs. I knew I wanted to carry on with education, but my focus at the time was on leaving home, so I could escape the situation I was in.

Without GCSEs, the only thing I could study at college was hairdressing. I remember being asked if someone else had filled in my enrolment forms because the handwriting was so neat. It struck me as an odd comment – why wouldn’t my handwriting be neat? I faced a lot of judgement for not having GCSEs.

I hated everything about hairdressing: standing up, the heat and touching people. But when it came to my coursework, everything was perfectly prepared. I really impressed my tutor when I submitted an in-depth 50-page report on bacteria.

I passed my NVQ Level 1 – so I’m actually qualified to do hair conditioning treatments! In recognition of my academic talents, I was advised to quit hairdressing and wait until I was 19 to pursue an Access to Higher Education diploma. This would allow me to bypass A-levels and go straight to university. I dropped hairdressing and carried on working full-time at the care home.

The access diploma course was intense. The tutors were determined to prepare us for university. They taught us how to Harvard reference and put essays together – which was all new to me. It was tough. But I worked hard and was able to apply to university.

My tutor was incredibly kind to me – she managed to get me a free computer when the college were upgrading their equipment. It was small gesture, but it meant I could stay home and study which saved me so much time. To my tutor, it was a small gesture, but to me, it was being seen and believed in. It meant the world to me.

Even now, these courses are relatively unheard of, so I openly share my experiences on LinkedIn and TikTok to support others. I hear from a lot of children in tough situations who are stressed about what will happen if they don’t get their GCSEs. My personal advice is always to prioritise improving their situation, because there are ways they can get back on track once they’re settled.

When it came to choosing my university, I was forced to choose one that didn’t need LNAT results. While I initially applied to various universities, including those that required me to pass the LNAT, the fee to access my results was £40. It might not sound like a lot, but I had no support and no cash to spare. That money was equivalent to a week’s worth of shopping. I found out later I passed the LNAT exams, but it was too late to change by that point.

When I started university, I was better prepared than my coursemates who'd done GCSEs and A-levels. I was surprised no one else knew how to Harvard reference – people would ask me for help! For years, I’d been treated as less of a person because I didn't have GCSEs, but I felt like I was at an advantage having done the access course route.

My first year went well, but it ended on a bad note when it transpired I owed the university £1,000 for fees. I wasn’t allowed to start my second year until I’d paid the debt. I went on a leave of absence and got a job to pay it off. But then I became pregnant – it felt like my university dream was over.

As I lay in hospital with my newborn son in my arms, I realised how important it was to return to university. I was a single mum, so his future depended on me. He became my inspiration to keep going. Using my maternity pay, I settled my university debt and returned to law school when my son was five months old.

I managed to graduate with a first: that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t had my son. If I’d stayed in university from the start, I would never have done as well as I did. Knowing he needed me spurred me on.

I don’t have any graduation photos because I couldn’t afford them. I used a credit card to pay for my robe hire but I couldn’t stretch to the photos. It’s still a big regret for me.

In the past few years, I’ve actually given people money to buy their graduation photos so they don’t end up with the same regret. Now that I’m financially stable, it’s not much to me, but it can mean the world to someone who needs it. I was fortunate to get help along my journey, so now I try to give others the same where I can.

I didn’t have the funds to do my master’s or Legal Practice Course (LPC) straight after my degree. Student Finance wasn’t available for postgraduate courses when I graduated. Without family support or the ability to raise a loan, my focus was on supporting myself and my son. I took a two-week role as a typist at a law firm but stayed for two years. During that time, I worked my way up to being a paralegal. I moved firms and eventually became a conveyancer with my own caseload.

In 2018, I went back to university part-time to do my LPC and master’s while working full-time as a conveyancer. By this point. I was also a mum of two. The pandemic hit in my final year, making it a hectic period. Not only did I have two kids to home school, but I also had double the conveyancing caseload because of the stamp duty holiday.

I graduated in November 2020 with a distinction – I was amazed. My firm offered me a training contract and I qualified in November 2023 – after almost 20 years. When I qualified, I wanted to lie down – it had been an exhausting journey.

I’ve recently been shortlisted as Worcestershire Law Society’s ‘Junior Solicitor of the Year’ which is surreal. I’m living proof that your background doesn’t have to define you.

I speak to a lot of younger solicitors who have imposter syndrome and worry they don't belong in law. Ultimately, if you’ve qualified as a solicitor, you belong in law. I've worked just as hard – if not harder – than others to get here.

People definitely find me approachable. Clients and colleagues often say they feel like they can ask me so-called “stupid questions”, because they know I won’t judge them for asking.

Looking to the future of the profession, I’d like to see more social mobility in law. I really believe there should be more people who come from backgrounds like mine, especially as judges. We need people from all walks of life to enter law.

It’ll probably take another 10 years before I become a judge, but I’m determined to get there. What started as a far-fetched dream from a 10th floor flat now seems to be within reach. Solicitor to judge doesn’t sound as difficult as ‘no GCSEs to solicitor’! I moved into property litigation at the start of the year to build up my court experience and exposure. I’m looking forward to the next step of my legal journey.