{"id":7440,"date":"2021-03-12T14:42:13","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T14:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=7440"},"modified":"2021-03-12T15:48:31","modified_gmt":"2021-03-12T15:48:31","slug":"nowhere-else-to-turn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/03\/12\/nowhere-else-to-turn\/","title":{"rendered":"Nowhere Else To Turn"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Psychology student, Ella Gee, found herself in a precarious financial position when COVID-19 meant she couldn\u2019t find work. Unable to rely on her family for financial support, Ella was at serious risk of being forced to drop out of university.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ella comes from a low-income background and always knew it would be tough financially to go to university. It is thanks to the generosity of donors that she is now in her final year of a psychology<\/a> degree at Reading.<\/p>\n

When she was sixteen, her father suffered a brain injury. His experience of treatment inspired Ella to pursue a career in psychology, and she now hopes to specialise as a Clinical Psychologist for individuals with brain injuries.<\/p>\n

Ella said: \u201cI\u2019ve just completed my placement year at a specialist brain injury clinic in Wales, which is the only clinic of its kind in the UK. This is the same clinic where my dad was treated.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAfter I complete my undergraduate degree, I will be entering the workplace to gain more hands-on experience but hope one day to return to do a master\u2019s in the future, to achieve my ambitions of widening access to specialist brain care across the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ella believes she wouldn\u2019t be where she is in higher education today \u2013 let alone taking steps towards her future ambitions of revolutionising care for people with brain injuries \u2013 if it wasn\u2019t for the generosity of donors.<\/p>\n

Doing my best<\/h4>\n

Ella tells CONNECTED how despite her admirable work-ethic, donor support has been vital to her university journey, especially in the face of the global pandemic.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI am on the highest student loan you can get because of my family situation; we don\u2019t have much money and I have been in part-time work since I was 16 to help support my family.<\/p>\n

\n

“I always pay my own way, and I pay my share of rent and bills when I\u2019m at home. There was never going to be any money left over to help me at university, so I knew it would be really hard.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ella was eligible for the Pioneer Bursary<\/a> in her first year, which \u2013 at the time \u2013 awarded \u00a31,000 to students whose family income was between \u00a327,000 and \u00a328,000. \u201cThe Pioneer Bursary made a huge difference. It took so much stress out of my first year,\u201d Ella said.<\/p>\n

Ella has since progressed well with her studies at Reading, while also working part-time in restaurants and bars to supplement her income. But when COVID-19 hit during her third year of study, her future at Reading looked uncertain.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI was on placement in Wales when lockdown began. At first I didn\u2019t know what to do or what would happen, but the clinic and the University were great. I began running an online rehab group as part of my work and I enjoyed the opportunity to continue working with patients during this challenging time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was coming into my final year, in September 2020, I thought maybe things were getting better. I thought that with the relaxed restrictions I could probably get work in a bar or restaurant, but there was nothing available and we soon went into another lockdown.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI did my best to get by on my own in the first term, but by January 2021 my money had run out and I couldn\u2019t pay for my accommodation and living costs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Out of options<\/h4>\n

Ella had nowhere else to turn. With no other options, she emailed the accommodation team to ask for a payment plan to help her pay her rent. The team suggested she applied for the Student Support Fund.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cAt first I didn\u2019t think I could receive hardship funds because I already had the highest student loan available, and I was worried that I would be letting myself down by asking for help.<\/p>\n

\n

“I have always tried to manage by myself \u2013 paying my way through part-time work \u2013 and I was dreading contacting the Student Support Team at Reading. But in the end, I had no choice, so I applied.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe team were so friendly and not at all judgemental. They reassured me that I was doing the right thing by coming to them for help. The application was straightforward, and I was relieved to finally be working towards a solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so shocked when my application was approved and I was given more money. It took a huge weight off my shoulders.<\/p>\n

\n

“I have never been at university without worrying about money before. It has always been on my mind, and now, for the first time ever, I can focus on my studies without stressing about it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI want to say a massive thank you to the donors who are supporting me. Without their help I wouldn\u2019t even be in higher education. It is such a relief to stop worrying about money and to focus on my studies. I just want to excel now and prove to myself that I can do my best, no matter how bad this year has been.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find out more about the Student Hardship Appeal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Psychology student, Ella Gee, found herself in a precarious financial position when COVID-19 meant she couldn\u2019t find work. Unable to rely on her family for financial support, Ella was at serious risk of being forced to drop out of university.\u00a0 Ella comes from a low-income background and always knew it would be tough financially to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":7442,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[85,22,27,32,41,112,62],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNowhere Else To Turn - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Psychology student, Ella Gee, found herself in a precarious financial position when COVID-19 meant she couldn\u2019t find work.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/03\/12\/nowhere-else-to-turn\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nowhere Else To Turn - 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