Maria's Chester Made Story: A job with purpose, supporting health research across the globe

To a person who has only seen my Instagram graduation post, it may seem that my time at university was bliss. I got a first-class degree and graduated surrounded by family and friends. But the truth is, getting to this point was extremely challenging in every way possible. If it wasn’t for the support of the staff at the University of Chester, I would have surely given up and quit. I am hoping that my story will inspire people like me to chase their dreams and start higher education. 

In 2017, I left Poland and moved to the UK with my family, in search of a better life. Being an immigrant at 14 years of age is tough, especially with GCSEs just around the corner. Even though I struggled with the cultural differences and learning in my second language at first, I got good grades and went to Loreto Sixth Form College in Manchester, which is regarded as one of the best in the country.  

Unfortunately, during my first year of college, I started developing mental health issues, which were further intensified by the pandemic. My attendance plummeted, and my grades started dropping, but I tried my hardest to pick myself back up. 

And then, the final blow hit me. In May 2021, my mum was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and I became her primary carer. Naturally, my mental health reached rock bottom, and the new responsibilities fully stripped me of any motivation or time to study. Together with my tutors, I made the difficult decision not to sit the majority of my A Levels, and to go with my predicted grades (which, due to my ongoing mental health issues, were, simply said, awful). I ended up with a D in Chemistry, a D in Biology, and an E in Maths.  

“Oh my God, my life is over,” I thought to myself. I cried to my teachers, completely defeated, asking if I could resit my A Levels and try to go to university next year.  

And then, my maths teacher sat me down. He said that I need to move on. “Do a foundation year, go to university, don’t stay behind.” 

“A foundation year? But that is so embarrassing!” I thought, full of anger and disappointment towards myself. Nevertheless, I decided to take the advice and apply to study BSc Biochemistry with a Foundation Year at the University of Chester. And I got in! 

The day after getting my confirmation letter, my mum sadly passed away. Another blow. How was I supposed to go to university in less than a month when my mum was dead? Another doubt, another reason to quit. But I pushed through it, I joined the University of Chester in September 2021, and this is where the journey really began.  

I absolutely loved my course. New knowledge, lovely and passionate lecturers, new friends, with opportunities to turn over a new leaf and start over. Oh, it was so freeing, so thrilling! I enjoyed the challenge, the freshness of it all, the chance to learn about what I was truly passionate about.  

But no matter how much I tried to push my mental illness and trauma to the side, it still lingered. And the longer I ignored it, the worse it got. Finally, after months of suffering in silence, I realised that I could not do this alone anymore. I needed help, before the same cycle from sixth form repeated itself. I reached out to my Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), who was extremely understanding and immediately took the initiative to make sure I received the right support. I was taken under the wings of the Wellbeing and Mental Health team at the University of Chester, who organised counselling for me and a personal mental health advisor. The team also helped me apply for NHS tiered therapy and antidepressants. I even received my own personal support plan, which allowed me to take as many extensions on assignments as I needed, and gave me more leniency with my attendance.  

My mental health advisor was fantastic. She not only helped me put my feelings into perspective and push through university amongst difficulties, but she also helped me deal with a major problem I was still facing – my father.  

Unfortunately, I was a victim of physical and mental domestic abuse from my father since I was a child. It affected me tremendously, but I found it hard to break off the relationship with him. He was my father after all.  

The newly found freedom and separation from my father that university gave me finally made me realise that I don’t have to put up with it anymore. During one of our sessions, my advisor said to me, “Maria, you are still being abused, you must break this connection, for your own sake.” And so I did.  

It was terrifying. I had no parents now, no adult figure in my life. I had no place to stay during the holidays. It was probably the most difficult thing I had ever gone through, but with the help of University staff, I reached the end of the tunnel again.  

I was immediately identified as an estranged student. I quickly found out that the University of Chester has a great range of support available for people like me, including a bursary and a 50% discount on accommodation, as well as accommodation for the holiday period. I was also included in a University support group for estranged students led by a designated advisor. The group even held its own Christmas celebration for those of us who had nowhere else to go! The help I received as an estranged student, and the sense of community was amazing and made it easier to deal with how difficult this process was.  

The University of Chester never let me fail or give up. There were multiple instances where I was so close to withdrawing from my course or considered interrupting my studies, but every time the staff filled me with hope. They told me how great I was doing, especially considering my circumstances, and pushed me to carry on and chase my dreams.  

But it wasn’t just the mental health support that allowed me to excel. The lecturers were passionate about the subjects they taught and were always willing to meet up on a one-to-one basis with students who needed extra support or wanted to learn more. My course also offered a lot of laboratory experience, which gave me crucial hands-on experience that I now use in my workplace. Thanks to the University of Chester’s collaboration with Biograd Education, I also had the opportunity to attend a two-week laboratory skills course, which enhanced my CV and allowed me to land my first job in the industry! 

I ended up graduating with a first-class degree, which I didn’t even think was possible at one point. Since then, my life has only been getting better. 

I now work as a laboratory technician for UK Biobank, one of the largest biomedical databases in the world, which stores genetic, health, lifestyle and imaging data from half a million participants. My work allows researchers from all around the globe to study the causes of disease and make life-changing breakthroughs in the world of diagnostics. I could not be prouder to support such a great cause. I absolutely love my job, and it fills me with purpose, making me realise that what I do truly matters. I now also have a husband and a dog, a family that I dreamt of for years. My life truly couldn’t be better. 

If you’re a young person who did not achieve the grades you were hoping for, a mentally ill person, an estranged person, an immigrant, a person who is terrified of starting higher education due to the problems you’re facing, you are not alone. Take that leap, push through it, don’t give up. Do it scared, do it sad, do it hopeless, reach out for support. Your life is far from over, and great opportunities lie ahead of you. There is nothing embarrassing about doing a foundation year, having counselling or needing extra support. You can create a beautiful life for yourself, no matter what your circumstances are.