Each year, Leeds Trinity University prepares to welcome a new cohort of students and in advance, shares a wide range of guidance and information to equip them with their journey in higher education. New students can join Freshers’ groups and hear from Leeds Trinity staff members about what to expect. The best advice about attending the University however, comes from someone who has been there and done it — our alumni. 

We are always extremely proud when our alumni enthuse and encourage others to pursue programmes of study at Leeds Trinity  based on their own student experiences within our friendly and inclusive community. This often happens with generations of students attending the University who are from the same family. 

This was certainly the case recently with a group of students who became known as the ‘fab family’ with lecturers in the Institute of Childhood and Education (ICE). Alumna Wendy Huggins attended Leeds Trinity when she was 47, after a colleague recommended us to her. After finishing a Foundation Degree in Supporting Young People, Children and Families in 2014, she continued her studies and completed a Professional Practice degree in Supporting Young People, Children and Families, graduating with a 2.1. She now works as Deputy Designate Safeguarding Lead at an academy. 

After enjoying her student experience with us, Wendy knew her daughter Ayesha could benefit from studying at Leeds Trinity too and encouraged her to follow in her footsteps. Ayesha challenged herself to step away from schools and nurseries, and she completed the Foundation Degree in 2016. She also went on to graduate with a Professional Practice degree in Supporting Young People, Children and Families in 2017. With the support and encouragement of her mum alongside her degrees, Ayesha is now working in children’s social services.

Wendy’s promoting didn’t finish there though, and she encouraged her niece, Paige, to attend Leeds Trinity. Paige, who began her studies is 2019, became the third member of the family to study at Leeds Trinity, for a degree in Working with Children, Young People and Families. With the support of her family and a little bit of healthy family competition, she is hoping to pursue a career as a pastoral adviser or work with a domestic violence team. 

Brett Arnall is Alumni Relations Officer at Leeds Trinity University. You can read more about Wendy and Ayesha’s experiences studying at Leeds Trinity in their alumni profiles.