Students receive results

Studying at South Essex College was a huge change for Zac Gensberg. He had previously attended a very small secondary school specifically for those with high anxiety and social issues.

Not long after the 18-year-old from Southend started his A-Levels in psychology, sociology, and English literature, he was diagnosed with high functioning autism. Despite the challenges he knew this would bring, he was determined to ‘use it as fuel to succeed.’

He admitted coming from a smaller school was incredibly difficult and there were far more people than he had anticipated, but praised his peers, tutors and support staff for their help.

Zac said: “The college was great at handling my fear, I spoke to my tutors and they did what they could to make me feel welcome and safe. I never worried about how much support I would receive because when visiting the college before enrolling, the staff and environment felt easy and manageable, I knew there were people I could talk to about anything.

“What I've enjoyed most about the college is definitely the tutors, they felt more like friends than teachers and they were so helpful and determined to make sure everyone succeeded.”

Zac now wants to use his skills to help others and will be studying on the BA (Hons) Counselling degree at University Centre South Essex.

After his degree, Zac aspires to be a therapist to help others. He said: “I think everyone needs to be heard and everyone struggles with something, I want to be someone who people are comfortable with. That's my biggest ambition!

“To those studying with high functioning autism, or Asperger’s, I would say don’t focus on being someone who you think others will like, be yourself and be someone you like! Your opinion of yourself is far greater than worrying about the opinion of people you don’t know. Once you stop worrying about everyone else, you can focus up, and get those grades!”

Studying A-Levels is challenging for many people, but Mary Edangalino’s achievements are even more incredible for two reasons - English is not her first language and she moved to the UK just one month before starting her A-Levels.

In fact, she speaks four languages, her mother languages are Spanish, Catalan and Tagalog with English being her ‘second’ language.

Her family moved from the Philippines 20 years ago to Spain, where Mary was born and grew up. Four years ago her father moved to the UK and she followed two years later. She started to learn English at primary school in Spain, but as she did not widely use English, it wasn’t until she moved to the UK she had to rely on her non-native tongue.

She studied biology, chemistry and art at the college and admitted the language barrier did have an impact at times, but she was determined to succeed in her studies and thanked her tutors for the support they gave her.

She said: “One thing I liked about the college was that the staff and teachers are very friendly and I felt very welcomed. They are also very supportive with your studies as they guide and help you depending on your personal weaknesses and needs. This enabled me to adapt easier to the new environment and to get more used to the language.”

Mary is now determined to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse and has been offered a place at university to study nursing.

Mary added: “With my keenness for health sciences, my biggest dream is to emerge deeper into the human body and become a surgical nurse so that I can not only be part of ‘fixing’ someone, but to also be part of someone’s journey of recovery from a disease or illness by providing them care and support.”

Ellen Forrest aspires to work in the film industry and has secured a place at Film and Screen School in Brighton.

The 18-year-old from Billericay is currently interested in producing and working with sound, but her ultimate goal is to produce films which allow people to ‘escape from their lives’. She is also passionate to make a positive change regarding the treatment and representation of women in this male dominant field.

Ellen, who studied film studies, media and business at the college, said the freedom while studying at South Essex College has prepared her well for her undergraduate journey.

She said: “There is still a strong support system for when you need it, but it was nice to have a more relaxed atmosphere!

“My sixth form didn’t offer film at A-Level, which is what I really wanted to do so I attended an open event at the college where I saw the facilities and spoke to the tutors. I got a good feeling about the place that I hadn’t experienced when viewing other sixth forms. Furthermore, I got to speak to course leaders which gave me confidence in knowing that the subjects I was looking at taking were the right ones for me.”

Ellen’s tutors praised her ‘constantly strong work ethic’ for her success. It is this passion and determination which has put her in good stead to achieve her ultimate goal.

Ellen added: “I want to make films that leave an impact on people and allow them to escape from their lives for a short while. I am also hoping that I will be able to make a positive change regarding the treatment of women within this field. There have been many negative stories in regards to gender equality for those who work in film and it is my hope that through hard work and perseverance I can make a career in this male dominated industry and help it change for the better.”

Grace Stone studied biology, chemistry, and law at the college, and has an unconditional offer to study law and human rights at the University of Essex.

Her ambition is to train to become a solicitor. She has a particular interest in human rights and life sciences, which are the areas she is considering specialising in.

The 20-year-old from South Benfleet said the support she received from her tutors during her studies was a key part to her success, especially as she has Asperger’s Syndrome.

Depression and anxiety are common ailments which accompany Asperger's Syndrome, and Grace has also been diagnosed with both.

She said her tutors went out of their way to educate others on how they can support students with autism, and adapted her working environment to suit her needs. They also arranged pastoral support for Grace and communicated her daily difficulties with one another which Grace said was a huge help as she could talk to the tutor she felt most comfortable with, and the others would still be aware of how she was doing day-to-day.

She said: “I understand that many students experience symptoms of, or are diagnosed with, anxiety and depression, and I do think that it is easier to talk to a professional at college where your relationships with your tutors are more informal than at school; I would, therefore, encourage current and future students to talk to a mentor they trust, however difficult it may initially be.

“I most enjoyed the way in which my tutors fostered my love for my subjects, pushing me to go further than the curriculum not only to prepare myself for university, but to develop an understanding of the applications my subjects have beyond the classroom.”

With an interest in psychopathology and human rights, Ellie Theobald’s ambition is to help others.

The 20-year-old from Canvey studied English literature, psychology and sociology at the college and is now going to university to study BSc Sociology and Psychology.

She is considering a career in either social work, counselling, or clinical psychology, or working for a charity such as Amnesty International. She said her A-Level courses helped her become much more confident and help her plan for her future.

She said: “I definitely think I've become more confident. At school, I wasn’t encouraged as much as I was by my teachers at college. I felt helped whenever I needed it, and that I was doing well in my subjects. I also became more engaging in my lessons, and with my peers. I felt as if I was really part of the subjects being taught to me.

“All of the teachers were passionate about their subjects too, and it was something we students picked up on. It made studying our subjects more enjoyable, and made us more passionate about the work we were doing now and our work for the future.”

Ellie said the college environment was different from school and liked that fact that students are treated as adults.

She added: “I loved the environment; it was modern. I was treated as an adult, and I felt I could talk openly and honestly to my teachers about any issues, whether it was personal or work-related.”

Ben Hipperson studied A-Levels to keep his options open for the future and is considering progressing onto an apprenticeship in either insurance or retail.

The 18-year-old from Basildon studied history, English literature and psychology, and said his tutors were extremely supportive.

He said: “I enjoyed the grown up interactions and treatment from peers and tutors. Being treated like an adult helped me prepare for the real world.

“When I came for the open event, the tutors were helpful and encouraging, which is what I was looking for in a college.”