To celebrate this International Women's Day, we spoke with some of our inspiring staff to learn more about their journeys and discover which women have inspired them the most!

Libby

Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you do at Weston College/UCW?

I have been at Weston College since 2015; in that time, I have been an English Lecturer, Progress Coach, Quality Manager and now I am the Head of English. I have a degree in English and am currently completing my Doctorate in Education, as well as being a qualified executive coach. My proudest moments working at the college were speaking at the World Education Summit in 2022 on behalf of the College, and then founding the College’s first LGBTQ Prom which will run for the 5th time this year.

I would describe myself as a working (dog) Mum to a gorgeous Cavapoo and I spend most of my time out of work either following the women’s football, reading or writing and travelling in my self-built campervan. I have been at Weston College since 2015; in that time, I have been an English Lecturer, Progress Coach, Quality Manager and now I am the Head of English. I have a degree in English and am currently completing my Doctorate in Education, as well as being a qualified executive coach. My proudest moments working at the college were speaking at the World Education Summit in 2022 on behalf of the College, and then founding the College’s first LGBTQ Prom which will run for the 5th time this year.

Who are the women who inspire you the most, and why? 

The England Lionesses have been a source of pride and inspiration for a couple of decades for me. They give everything playing football for their country, inspiring people (especially girls and women) and also campaigning for real change with issues such as periods, women’s health and sports for girls. They do all of this without the salary and recognition that their male counterparts receive. Malala Yousafzai is my educational hero. Most people know her as the woman who was shot by the Taliban for going to school when she was just fifteen, but her activism for the educational rights of young girls and women began at a much younger age with her and her father defying regimes and running classes and schools for girls in the face of great danger.

What’s one piece of advice you would give your younger self at the start of your career? 

Feedback is the most powerful thing that someone can give you: seek it.

Chloe

Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you do at Weston College/UCW? 

I have worked in education for almost a decade, though my own educational journey wasn’t always straight forward. I found school tricky as I have ADHD and dyslexia which meant I often had to work twice as hard as everyone else just to get the same results but I realised early on that the only person who could secure my success was me, and it just made me more determined to reach my goals. I achieved a degree in Drama and Theatre and began my career in education later returning to study again in 2018 to complete a postgraduate masters (while still working full time!) in the Psychology of Education from a Russell Group University.

I am Direct of Social Justice and Student Support at Weston College. I lead incredible teams with responsibility for Welfare, Counselling, Children in Care, Libraries, Behaviour and Social Justice. I am the Designated Teacher for Looked After Children and I’m incredibly proud to be the colleges Designated Mental Health Lead.

Who are the women who inspire you the most, and why? 

I am incredibly lucky as I am surrounded by inspirational women every day in my personal and professional life, including my mum, granny, sister in law, nieces, friends and colleagues. I draw inspiration from a range of women, though if I had to choose my top 3 they would be:

Princess Dianna who, despite personal challenges, was a trailblazer in demonstrating compassion for all and advocacy for vulnerable and marginalised people. She inspires me to operate with kindness above anything else for no other reason than because it is always the right thing to do.

Anna Fraud was a pioneer who reframed the way that psychology considered children and young people, evidencing that the care of children and young people should be rooted in emotional wellbeing. By courageously challenging pre-existing models, huge advances were made in the field of developmental psychology. She inspires me to strive for continual development and improvement, thinking critically through a lens of “it’s good but how can it be great?”.

Miranda Hart is an incredibly intelligent political science graduate turned comedian who is unapologetically herself. She inspires me to enjoy life, without taking the trivial things too seriously, by having fun and laughing at the silly things along the way!

What’s one piece of advice you would give your younger self at the start of your career? 

Your opinions and ideas are valid. Believe in yourself. You have earned your place and you are good enough to be here!

Hannah

Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you do at Weston College/UCW? 

I have been working as a lecturer in Business and Travel and Tourism for just over 5 years now. I teach learners on our BTEC and T-Level programmes and they are 16-19 years old. Within my role I am a tutor, I provide 1:1 support to learners and help them achieve their qualifications. I am currently tutoring Level 2 Travel and Tourism and Level 3 Year 1 Travel and Tourism.

The majority of my teaching hours are in Travel and Tourism and I teach subjects such as the Cruise Industry, Marketing within Travel and Tourism and The World of Travel and Tourism. I am personally very passionate about travel. I work with employers such as Bristol Airport, British Airways Training Academy and Border Force at Bristol Airport to provide our learners with experiences and trips.

I have recently organised and led a trip to New York for 35 of our learners. I also teach business subjects such as International Business, Corporate Social Responsibility, Branding and Behaviours and Communication.

In 2014-2016 I completed a Business BTEC here at Weston College, so I now deliver on the same qualification in which I gained, this experience has massively helped me within m y role as I understand the position our learners are in. I am passionate to deliver a fantastic experience to our learners.

Who are the women who inspire you the most, and why?

I am inspired by many women in my life, including family, friends and colleagues. There are many famous women who have inspired me including Michelle Obama who has consistently been an advocate for health, wellbeing and education.

What’s one piece of advice you would give your younger self at the start of your career? 

I would tell myself to have confidence in my own ability and to try new things to push boundaries.

Abbi

Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you do at Weston College/UCW? 

I have the pleasure of overseeing the innovative curriculum of Pathways to Supported Adulthood. The team and I work with learners who experience a range of complex support needs including Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities, complex communication needs, etc.

Who are the women who inspire you the most, and why?

The woman I have always admired seems silly but Dolly Parton. She has a fantastic work ethic, tells great stories and has a consistently positive outlook on life. 'Better get to Livin'.

What’s one piece of advice you would give your younger self at the start of your career? 

The one piece of advice I would give myself is stand up for what you believe in and don't feel pressured to follow the status quo, Don't accept, because someone said so, you can't do it - break the mould and blow preconceived expectations out of the water.