Victoria shared her journey in an article published by the Children and Young People Student Network in the UK.
"I have Autism, and this will be with me for life. I have always had it and I always will have it. My brain works differently to others, I communicate differently, I process things differently - but these also become my strengths."
"Autism probably seems like enough to put some barriers in
place to me getting where I want. But I have also battled with mental illness
for as long as I can remember, and I have had days where tomorrow looked like
it would never come. It caused me to drop out of my A levels because I got too
unwell, and then when I started a different course a few months later, I only
managed 5 days. At this point, I truly felt I would never be able to reach my
goals. I felt like my education ended at GCSE’s because I just couldn’t get any
further without losing myself to mental illness."
"These built barriers and walls in my way to success. I had no idea how I would
get to where I wanted to be, I almost just accepted a lower quality of life
than what I deserved. But I fought. I battled to be where I am."
"Then, I got my offer to study children’s nursing. I felt
over the moon. I was there, I was going to get my goal after all. Starting
university is difficult for anyone, then add into the mix my life and it was
complicated. I almost gave up several times that first month. I wasn’t good
enough; I could never do it. But the support from my lecturers and the university
made a difference, proved that I could do it. Placement proved to me even more
that I could do it, making a difference to families every day and I loved the
feeling of helping people."
Read more about Victoria here:
Cheers!
Donna
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