Zara chose to study Psychology inspired by her experience with mental health services, where she felt the right support was still needed for marginalised groups, such as people from ethnic minority backgrounds. Originally from London, she came to Leeds Trinity through Clearing, a process she found easy to navigate, where her passion for the subject was recognised despite her not having taken Psychology at A level. 

“I hoped Leeds Trinity would be the place where I could just be myself and achieve my goals, and it has been. It’s been great,” Zara said. 

Having started her Psychology with Foundation Year course back in 2018, Zara was committed to finishing her degree and achieving a First, despite facing many challenges during her time as a student. Being a young carer for her mum, then losing her dad, and having to navigate remote learning during the Covid-19 pandemic as a student with learning disabilities, Zara had to appeal to student support to ensure she could finish her degree under the circumstances.  

“I was struggling to complete my work with everything going on at home and also fighting to get my ADHD diagnosis and a chronic pain diagnosis. The University was understanding and offered me different levels of support so I could continue my studies,” Zara explained.  

“My goal was always to get my psychology degree. I knew the steps I needed to take and was going to do it no matter what. But there's no way I could have done it if I had been anywhere else other than Leeds Trinity.” 

Dr Laura de Pretto, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Leeds Trinity University, and Zara’s personal tutor, said: “It has been an absolute privilege to be Zara’s lecturer and personal tutor throughout her journey. Watching her grow from Foundation Year to graduating with a first-class degree in Psychology fills me with immense pride.  

“She has shown extraordinary resilience, maturity, and grace, overcoming significant challenges along the way. Zara is not only incredibly bright and dedicated, but also one of the most respectful and thoughtful students I’ve had the pleasure to support. She has often thanked me over the years—but truly, it is I who should thank her. Students like Zara make this job deeply meaningful. I wish her every success and happiness in all that lies ahead.” 

Struggling with dyspraxia, dyslexia, dyscalculia and ADHD, Zara worked with her personal tutor and the Disability team at the University to accommodate her needs, which included implementing more targeted deadlines ahead of her final coursework hand-in dates and receiving targeted support with her application for Disabled Students’ Allowance. 

This supported her in finally submitting her third-year assignments and dissertation, which took “determination, effort and resilience”. “I'm really proud of the fact that, despite constantly being in pain and not being able to concentrate, I pushed through and got a First. I didn’t go through everything to not get the outcomes that I wanted,” Zara said. 

Her advice for fellow students with learning difficulties is to “learn how it affects mental and physical health”. “No matter how much you want to do the learning and you're able to do so intellectually, if you're mentally or emotionally not there, you'll be struggling. A learning difficulty doesn’t only impact your learning, it impacts you in every part of your life,” Zara added. 

Having worked with asylum seekers during her time as a student, Zara says her course has “opened my eyes to all the different groups that I really want to help”, and further solidified her goal to become a psychologist who can provide appropriate support for those who would otherwise struggle to access it. 

A key skill she developed while studying Psychology has been critical thinking, which has helped her look beyond the surface, question and argue based on evidence, and, most importantly, build the confidence to make informed decisions. Her next step after graduating is to build up her experience as a caseworker, with the aim to get a clinical psychology doctorate in the future. 

To find out more about studying Psychology at Leeds Trinity University, visit the website.