Vicki Lancey

A decade after starting her degree, Vicki Lancey graduated with First Class Honours.

Victoria Lancey

“I have been working, studying and raising a family so the degree has actually taken me 10 years to complete,” she said. “It’s great to have finally finished.”

Vicki earned a First Class Honours in Counselling Psychology and is now completing a Level 5 Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapeutic Practice to enable her to practice as a counsellor.

Vicki, who works at the University in the Business School, reflected on her journey to graduation.

“I actually secured a place to study at the University right after completing my A-levels, but at that time didn’t have the confidence to take up my place,” she said. “When I started working at the University, 14 years ago, I would see all of the students graduating each year and was filled with regret for not having taken my place all those years ago. So, I decided to study as a mature student on a part time basis to allow me to continue working and supporting my family.”

“Throughout my degree I have worked within the Business School, who have always been supportive of my studies,” she added. “Alongside that, I now volunteer with Cruse Bereavement, providing support to people who have lost loved ones. It’s incredibly rewarding, and I love the work I do there.”

Vicki said studying in the pandemic afforded some benefits to her.

“Surprisingly I found the pandemic helped my studying in some ways,” she said. “Whilst I missed the face-to-face interaction, it meant I could study from home which fitted in better with my family commitments. I was still able to contact tutors, so I was quite happy with the change.”

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