Antigone is originally from the UK but grew up in the USA, returning to the UK in her early teens. It was then, however, that her life took a different path to what she was expecting.

“I grew up in Texas, but the move to the UK was quite turbulent and led to the breakdown of the relationship with my parents,” Antigone said.

When Antigone reached 16 she decided to start working, doing a number of jobs before becoming a carer for people who needed end-of-life and dementia support when she was 18.

However, after a few years, she decided that wasn’t the career she wanted to pursue long-term and looked at returning to education, eventually starting a psychology degree at the University of South Wales (USW).

Antigone graduated in 2021 with a 2:1 and went on to study for a Masters degree in Human Resource Management.

Having spent four years at USW, she has plenty of positive comments for the support she received from the University.

“Although I was a care leaver, being a bit older meant I was used to managing my own life and making sure things were in order,” Antigone said.

“But there was still great support from the uni. I was given a single person to contact in case I needed anything. They really do make sure you are looked after and feel secure - if anything, I felt like I had more opportunity than other people, just because I was so supported.”

And going to university is something that Antigone says she would recommend ‘a million per cent’.

“If you don't go to university you can only get so far and, especially as a care leaver, you're just a statistic most of the time,” she said.

“There can be such a stigma that comes with being a care leaver. So yeah, it's nice to go against the grain.”

Photo of Antigone with quote: “If you don't go to university you can only get so far and, especially as a care leaver, you're just a statistic most of the time,”