Megan Studies Politics at Manchester Met!

Megan left Redhill school in 2017. She currently studies Politics at Manchester Met University.

‘I decided to take this path as I always enjoyed history at school and found it interesting. When choosing my options for A Levels, Politics was suggested to me by a teacher at Redhill as a potential option and since then I have directed my studies in this direction. Throughout my A Levels I returned for a number of work experience opportunities at Redhill, helping out in different departments. I found it to be really valuable in terms of helping with my confidence when working with older children. I have since worked as a teaching assistant at The Manchester College and found the experience I gained from my time at Redhill to be really beneficial in my career.

Outside of her studies, Megan is currently working part-time in a salon. ‘I really enjoy this as it leaves me enough time to go to uni and I can work it around writing my assignments etc. I would recommend getting a job while studying as the people you can meet and the work experience you can gain is always helpful and looks great to employers.’

When reminiscing about her time at Redhill, Megan says she misses the opportunity to spend time with friends and have fun in a learning environment. ‘At Redhill I felt we were always encouraged to enjoy ourselves and when this is paired with interactive and engaging teaching it really helps to keep us, as students not only interested but excited to learn. I appreciate the effort that members of staff put in to ensuring we made the most of every lesson.

I would particularly like to shoutout Mrs Beeston, Mr Field and Mrs Glover. The PE department was where me and most of my friendship group spent the most time during our time at Redhill, the relationship between us and them was really supportive and no matter how big or small a problem was, having a reliable and trustworthy group of adults to go to and look up to was invaluable to not only mine, but a lot of others time at Redhill. I’d like to also mention Mrs Glover from science for putting up with how chatty I was and still pushing me to reach my full potential in a subject I found especially difficult.’

Megan is still in contact with most of her friends from Redhill. though living away and being busy with her next steps means she cannot see them as often as she would like. She said they still all speak and update each other on life most days.

‘My plans for the future are to finish my degree next year. I plan to graduate Summer 2023; from this I would like to find a graduate job in local government and start working with the council on the redevelopment plan for poorer areas of Manchester as well as continuing my work with local schools and colleges in the development of youth in the Greater Manchester. I hope that in the long term I can be successful at this and aim to make the area I live in better for the next generation.’

What would your message of advice and encouragement be to the Year 7s of 2021-22?

‘My advice to Year 7’s would be to open your mind to new subjects and go to every lesson ready to engage and learn. It can be surprising which subjects you can find yourself to be good at when you go into the lesson with a positive mindset.’

‘I feel as though Redhill made me more resilient in my learning. I don’t give up as often and I am focused on the tasks at hand. I also feel as though it taught me about the importance of taking time out to do things that you enjoy, even though sport isn’t a career path for me, from Year 7 onwards sport has become a massive part of me, and I have continued this into my adult life. The time I spent at Redhill encouraged me to make the most out of education and pushed me to want to continue my studies at University.’

Good luck for the future, Megan, we would love to hear another update from you soon!