Class of 2020 – Mollie-Beth Harrison
18-year-old Mollie-Beth is looking forward to the next chapter of her life studying Adult Nursing at De Montfort University.
Mollie-Beth joined the UTC in Year 10 in order to specialise and gain more experiences within STEM. She achieved A Levels in Biology (B), Chemistry (B) and Physics (E).
She said: “I’m starting my studies in September at De Montfort and it’s been very overwhelming so far today, but I’m really pleased with my destination.
“I think the UTC has prepared me well for my future and my next steps. I’m more resilient and in terms of working I’m able to work independently. When I do go to university I will know how to study and revise and support myself because of what I’ve learnt at the UTC.”
Mollie-Beth initially applied to study Environmental Science but rethought her plans. She said: “I decided I wanted to go into the NHS and help people. This pandemic has enforced that I want to do something more meaningful with my life and help people and I’ve always really enjoyed Biology.”
Speaking of her experience of the UTC, she said: “The UTC is a happy, friendly environment. The opportunities to see industry and talk to different people are really good and not something I’d have experienced at my previous school. It means you can think about what you want to do and hear about other people’s roles within industry first-hand.”
Mollie-Beth has enjoyed extra-curricular activities whilst at the UTC, as well as employer projects: “I got the opportunity in Year 12 to go to Leicester University to do some Chemistry tasters which was fantastic because you could experience what it would be like if you did study Chemistry at degree level which I had thought about as an option. In my GCSEs we worked with Rolls-Royce and Toyota which was always very insightful and offered up lots of opportunities”.
Her qualifications aren’t the only thing she’ll be taking away from the UTC: “The most valuable thing I’ve come away with since starting at the UTC has been the soft skills I’ve been able to develop. I’ve helped out at open days and talked to so many employers, so I’ve developed a confidence when talking to people within industry and employers. When I go to interviews, I’m more prepared now and it’s because of my experiences at the UTC.”
Mollie-Beth found the UTC and teachers to be really supportive: “Because the UTC is so small and my old school is so big, I wouldn’t have got the support that I’ve been able to get here or the opportunities. The support and teachers at the UTC are really personalised so no one feels like something isn’t there for them or that they wouldn’t be able to learn well.
“If you’re unsure about joining the UTC, there’s no reason not to take a gamble – apply, it might be the best decision you ever make. I’m excited to be a woman in STEM and to be pushing for it to be normalised.”