Janet Yates – TILL graduate
Janet was nominated for the Adult Learner of the Year Award after obtaining a first class honours degree on one of the many part-time courses available at the University of Sheffield.
Janet says "It felt wonderful to graduate and the process of part-time higher education is a fantastic process to go through. Everyone was so proud when I graduated and I was very proud of myself. This nomination makes all those great emotions feel even more special to me."
Janet, who was born and raised in Sheffield, says she enjoyed school life but chose a job over higher education as she believed herself to be unsuitable for university and so instead elected to pursue a career in insurance where jobs were available.
In 2002, having raised her children and becoming successful in her career, Janet seized the opportunity to get a degree – a qualification she had dismissed as unattainable as a teenager.
However, after starting university life as a full-time student, Janet was forced to move onto a part-time course when her daughter was taken ill.
Explains Janet: "After that first semester I came close to quitting my studies. Fortunately, the University’s TILL department offered a part-time course similar to the one I was already studying so I was able to keep the momentum going. TILL were so understanding about my situation and it's great that they appreciate the pressures mature students have to deal with."