New campaign highlights the success stories of local students who were the first in their family to attend university
The extraordinary success of a student from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) who as the first in her family to attend university is being highlighted in a new national campaign, led by Universities UK.
Rebecca Davies, a graduate of the MDes in Surface Pattern and Textiles at UWTSD’s Swansea College of Art, was the first in her family to attend university and is featured in the Art talent category of UUK’s 100 Faces campaign.
During her time studying at the University, Rebecca who is from Townhill in Swansea, experienced many successes, including securing a paid internship with Rolls-Royce as part of the company’s exclusive design team. This experience led to her current role of Bespoke Designer at the company and she credits the university for enabling her to pursue a creative career.
She says: “University exposed me to a wider range of different opportunities that completely changed my career trajectory.
“One of the biggest changes that going to university has made to my life is having the support system from incredible designers I studied with, and the amazing lectures and technicians who have taught me everything I now know about design. I learnt so much more than I initially signed up for, and a lot of that was just from the way that the course is structured, with opportunities to carry out self-directed studies allowing me to build my own confidence, which has allowed me to become very self-sufficient. But also encouraging group work and a social working environment, I feel like I have been able to be a good peer/colleague to those I now work with, feeling confident to give my opinion and bounce ideas off others if I’m feeling stuck. So, the emotional and social impact of attending university, has been really positive for me, and is something I take into my every day life.
“Choosing to study Surface Pattern and Textiles design was the first time I felt supported in pursuing a creative career. It was also the first time that I could see all the opportunities and corners of the creative industry that would be available to me, where prior to finding the course, I wasn’t feeling confident that a creative career would be possible. I was exposed to a wide range of different opportunities that really deepened my idea of what being a designer could mean.
“With the support and confidence I had developed, alongside all the technical design knowledge, I have been able to start a career in design that, before my studies, I would not have believed possible. The opportunity for the internship at Rolls-Royce came through the university, and was something I would never have looked for, and to have been able to stay on with them as a Bespoke Designer ever since has been an exceptional experience.”
UUK’s ‘100 Faces campaign’ aims to champion and celebrate the positive impact of ‘first-in-the-family’ (FitF) graduates on the UK and includes Lord David Blunkett, Nobel Prize winner Sir Chris Pissarides and actor Amit Shah in order to inspire the next generation to reach their graduate potential.
As part of the campaign, new research reveals the transformative impact of going to university on ambition (74%), with almost three quarters (73%) of FitF students agreeing their degree gave them the confidence to apply for jobs without feeling like an imposter.
These findings come from extensive new research, commissioned by Universities UK, into the experiences of 6,004 UK graduates and 4,006 non-graduates, aged 24-40, from across the UK.
The success of students like Rebecca is testament to the extraordinary role university can play – particularly for those students who are the first in their family to attend and face significant barriers before they even set foot on campus. Despite this inequality, FiF students flourish at university – with three quarters of FitF respondents saying that their experiences at university made them more confident and ambitious, gave them broader life experiences and crucial life skills which continue to be impactful long after graduation.
In light of this, UUK is campaigning to highlight the achievements of the extraordinary first in family graduates in every community, and to ensure that future generations don’t miss out on the transformative impact of a university education.
Vivienne Stern MBE, Chief Executive of Universities UK, commented:
“There are those who say that too many people go to university. I disagree. These stories tell you why. In this country you are still twice as likely to go to university if you are from the wealthiest background, compared to the least wealthy. That’s not right.”
“The experiences of students who are the first in their families to have been to university tell a powerful story. I am amazed by how many graduates talked about having imposter syndrome – and the way that earning a degree helped to banish that feeling. I believe we have a responsibility to keep working to ensure a wider range of people in this country get access to the potentially transformative experience of going to university.”
Further Information
Eleri Beynon
Head of Corporate Communications and PR
Corporate Communications and PR
Email: eleri.beynon@uwtsd.ac.uk
Phone: 07968 249335