In her new job as a life coach at Leeds City Council, Alice Allen, who graduates from Leeds Trinity University with a degree in Criminology today, is determined to use her own lived experience to ensure children and young people receive the support they need to make a positive start in life.

In her own words, Alice “went off the rails” as a youngster due to unsupported trauma relating to instances of bereavement, domestic abuse and living in a refuge. As a result, she struggled to engage with school, achieving only two and a half GCSEs and rarely considering her future.

After a period of uncertainty that continued into her mid-twenties, Alice began volunteering for the Leeds Youth Service and soon discovered her passion for working with children. It was then that Alice decided to return to education and applied to Leeds Trinity, where she completed a Foundation Year in Social Science before progressing onto the University’s Criminology degree.

Already a mother of two and carrying her third child as she started her first year at undergraduate level, Alice successfully juggled her parenting responsibilities and coursework – even recording a presentation while in the early stages of labour in order to achieve her goals.

Alice took advantage of the opportunities available to help build up her experience in the field during her time as a student. She took on part-time roles within child protection, social work and safeguarding and completed a separate national vocational qualification (NVQ) in youth work to improve her career prospects.

However, in her final year, Alice faced challenges managing her workload and in her private life, and she began to struggle. To help, tutors agreed to support Alice with deadlines, allowed for greater flexibility in the delivery of her teaching and provided extensive online support to ensure she still received the guidance she needed. This made a huge difference for Alice who, after being afforded the time to resolve some of her issues, was able to direct her focus towards her assignments and achieve consistently high grades.

Her strong academic performance resulted in Alice achieving a first-class degree and securing a permanent position as a life coach with Leeds City Council, which she began in early July.

In this role she will draw on her Criminology degree, which explores sociological and psychological approaches to understanding why people commit crime and what society does to reduce offending.

Alice said: “If I think back to where I was four or five years ago, I wouldn't have ever thought that I'd make it to this position. I’m very grateful for the support I’ve received from all my tutors at Leeds Trinity, especially my personal tutor, Jo [Joanna Adhikari]. She has always found a way to help, especially when I was struggling with my mental health, which made everything seem a lot more realistic and achievable again. Having the right support around me at that time was crucial as I definitely wouldn’t have continued otherwise, I think I’d have just stayed in the dark place I was in.

“What I’ve taken from my experiences in life and at university, and what I’ll pass on to the young people I work with, is there’s a lot of pressure to be reaching specific milestones at certain points in your life. For example, you’re expected to know what you want to do by the time you’re in year 10 at school, and those kinds of expectations continue throughout your life. But, depending on personal circumstances and how each person develops as an individual, it pans out differently for us all. That has been the case for me, and I want to help young people realise that, so I’m really excited to be in this job and make a difference.”

Joanna Adhikari, Deputy Head of School of Criminology, Investigation and Policing at Leeds Trinity University, said: “I couldn’t be more excited for Alice as she graduates from Leeds Trinity University. Her passion to help young people, along with her fantastic work ethic, has led her to achieving consistently outstanding grades despite some personal setbacks. I am thrilled she’s now working with Leeds City Council and I have no doubt that with her dedication and expertise she has a remarkable career ahead of her.”

A Foundation Year offers students an alternative route into university and gaining a degree. During a Foundation Year, students undertake modules to enhance their academic skills and confidence, supporting and informing subsequent years of undergraduate study.

For more information about the Criminology with Foundation Year course at Leeds Trinity, and other courses available in Clearing, visit the University website.