Also within the SIGBI Federation, Jackie, a new member of the SI Winchester Club, has shared with us her personal journey of overcoming societal expectations and limited education opportunities. From leaving school with minimal qualifications and societal expectations guiding her towards traditional roles, Jackie’s story unfolds into a remarkable narrative of self-discovery, resilience, and a commitment to continuous learning, embodying the spirit of empowerment championed by Soroptimist International.
“When I was at school (a very long time ago) I was never encouraged to think I would be good enough to go to college. I was constantly told ‘School days are the best days of your life’ and upon leaving, I was advised to work in a factory, office, or shop until I got married and had children.
I left with 1 ‘O’ level and no belief in my-self. Once I started work, however, I realised that I hadn’t enjoyed school and gained more confidence as I gained experience in my jobs.
Coming from a family of 5, my brother and eldest sister had both become teachers. This proved useful as my brother only lived 20 miles away. With this advantage he was able to provide extra guidance on how to study / revise for exams. As a result, I gained a good grade ‘O’ level in English.
This started me thinking if I work hard maybe I can achieve more. When I visited the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), they helped me understand the process of applying to college. The contact at CAB was the wife of the owner of the company I worked for. She made it very clear information between us was confidential and supported my application to attend college, completing a Higher National Diploma in Business full time. She was brilliant.
I was able to gain a small grant and although I had to cope with the loss of my mother to cancer that same year and residing in some houses / flats that were not particularly desirable it was as though the studying had woken my brain up. It was very hard work but so stimulating.
Since then, I have taken every opportunity to attend all the relevant training sessions I could.
I still don’t have ‘O’ level maths and yet when studying for my MSc I had to do advanced multiple regression, advanced research, analysis, and much more.
I now have an MSc in Risk Management, a degree in Business, and a Higher National Certificate in Building whilst working full time. In addition to the usual Management courses and much more, I have enjoyed evening classes in car maintenance, environmental science, woodwork, picture framing, even had a go at palm reading; recently, I also attended a taster session on book binding.
I could never understand friends and colleagues who would miss out on an educational experience by not attending because they didn’t know anyone else also attending. I have had a varied career as a buyer in the construction industry, selling damp proof course and membrane to Architects, engineers and demonstrating how to torch it into place on building sites across the south. I then changed from selling 20 products to thousands of PPE related products. When I went into Risk Management and Business Continuity. I had no strategic training and had never really heard of Business Continuity. However, I really enjoyed learning as much as I could and became the subject expert the senior team could refer to.
I believe learning and education is vital to attaining self-actualisation and take every opportunity to help others to explore the possibilities learning can give. Whilst I was the Chairperson for a national Risk Management group, I also established a mentoring scheme.
I’m not sure if I am determined or just stubborn to prove those who didn’t believe in me as being wrong.”