Steph smiling, sitting at a desk in the library.

01 June 2020

Steph Is On the Way to a Career in Mental Health Research

Thirty-four-year-old Steph Logan tells us how she’s getting a second chance to achieve her dreams after joining Edinburgh College’s SWAP Access to Life Sciences course.

“I’m doing something I never imagined to be possible. The best exam grade I gained in school was a C in Higher Biology so I didn’t think I could achieve any more in terms of education.

“I’ve always been interested in Science and before coming to College I worked as a lab technician from the age of 17, starting at a pharmaceuticals company before moving to the university research sector. While I loved assisting in research and learning lots of new things, I never really felt fulfilled and I reached a point in my career where I felt I wasn’t growing.

“Now I feel like there’s a clear path to my dream of completing a PHD in neuroscience and working on mental health research.

“The course I’m studying comprises of Biology, Chemistry, Maths, and Prep for Higher Education as well as core skills including Communication and ICT Skills. It’s giving me a different route towards my university course of choice and it’s already paying off.

“I’m determined to make this experience different from high school. I’m achieving things I never thought I could, especially after a 17-year gap from education. I’ve passed all my assessments, even in Chemistry – a subject I never studied at school.

“My ambition is to work in mental health research. I have a desire to understand how people think and how it directly affects their health. And, having overcome anxiety myself, it really interests me.

“If someone was to tell 14-year-old Steph that she’d be coming to College to start a journey to do something like this? No way. I was the shyest person, I had little-to-no self-confidence or self-esteem and I think that held my progress back. I’ve learned to manage that anxiety now and I’ve realised that university isn’t so unattainable – which is something I thought for so long.

“I’m proud to be doing something that I really want, for me. On top of that, I really want to make my son, who’s 11-years-old, proud of his Mum.”

If you want to return to education after a break like Steph, view our courses to get started.

Steph Is On the Way to a Career in Mental Health Research

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