finding my wings, learning to fly

“The first step of learning how to fly is realising that you can”.

Yesterday brought a close to the end of a long, seven year battle to find myself again after my epilepsy diagnosis. Yesterday I graduated (again) and achieved something I was told seven years ago I would never achieve.

The experience was made even more special by the fact that I graduated from the college where I also now work and I was not only surrounded by other graduates and tutors but also by tutors who I now get to call my friends.

Many bloggers don’t mention names or places when blogging to protect privacy etc, while I totally respect that I feel it would be amiss if I didn’t mention the college that has given me back my wings. The college in question is East Riding College.

Higher education in colleges is often overlooked. Higher education is mostly associated with large universities, over crowded lecture rooms and tutors that view you as a number and not an individual. In all honesty, that would never have worked for me after my diagnosis. In the early days I couldn’t concentrate for long periods of time and suffered from constant absence seizures. During lectures I would miss parts of my classes and often had no idea what was happening or even what the lecture was about. I was so incredibly blessed to have tutors at East Riding College that not only accepted me needs but also did their best to understand them. I can’t count the amount of tutorials I had or the amount of emails I sent that were always replied to promptly. Without the understanding of both the college and the tutors I would never have achieved anything.

There is one more benefit to studying at East Riding College that goes beyond having smaller classes, more tutorials or your individual needs understood, that is the belief that others have in you and the drive they have to get you to reach your full potential.

Epilepsy not only clipped my wings, it broke them. It brought me to a low point in my life and for a very long time it seemed like there was no way to get back up. All my hopes and dreams felt miles away and achieving them was pretty much out of the question. Then I went to study higher education at East Riding College and that changed everything. For the first time in years my epilepsy did not matter. Nobody was telling me I wouldn’t be able to do something, instead they worked with me to figure out ways around the problems. They were still days when I felt broken and longed to go back to being the old me, the me I was before epilepsy. On those broken days, my tutors reminded me that broken crayons still colour and that sometimes the greatest pieces of artwork are created using those crayons. I was reminded that the epileptic Jade is just as worthy of success as the Jade before epilepsy.

Success (and a whole new career) is what I achieved. Now, I get to work with those amazing tutors and call them my colleagues and friends. Every time I put my staff badge on I feel a huge sense of pride for the institution, and the sector I work in. You might think I say these things because I work at the college but that couldn’t be further from the truth, the things I have said in this blog are the reasons I work at East Riding College.

Nothing makes me prouder than seeing my students learn, grow and achieve and enjoy their personal journey. Colleges are such important institutions for learning, growth and self-discovery. It is within the walls of places, such as East Riding College, that future teachers, nurses, business owners, politicians, police offers and many other professionals are made. The government really needs to recognise this.

So my advice, to any of my readers that have epilepsy and feel they won’t be able to study at a higher level, go check out the degree courses offered at your local colleges. I promise you will not regret your decision. If you live in the East Riding College, come visit us!!!!! And get ready to fly.