Sharon rewarded as "Inspirational Learner"

Birmingham resident, Sharon Thompson is the winner of this year’s Midlands Inspirational Learner Award 2012 for Adult Learners’ Week organized by NIACE (National Institution of Adult Continuing Education).

Sharon was selected for the award, sponsored by the Open University,from a number of nominations because of her spirit and determination, showing amazing strength in everything she has achieved through her ambition to learn.

  Age 32,the single mum with dyslexia has a background that includes living in hostels as a teenager and not knowing her alphabet until she was 21, having left school with just a handful of GCSEs.

  She signed up with the OU in 2007 as the only viable way she could combine study with full-time employment and parenting commitments, gaining a certificate in Social Sciences and a Diploma in Social Policy whilst working towards her Honours Degree in Social Sciences.

  Her studies fuelled her interest in society - social justice and community engagement in particular.

 

To view the whole story, find it in the July Edition of the Phoenix