Northern Ireland

Social worker achieves dream with graduation from QUB

Frances McCullough first began her social work course in 2001
Frances McCullough first began her social work course in 2001 Frances McCullough first began her social work course in 2001

IT has taken 20 years, but Frances McCullough has "achieved her dream" of graduating as a social worker.

The mother-of-two, who first began her social work course in 2001, was awarded a First Class Honours degree from Queen’s University Belfast.

Reflecting on how it had taken two decades to complete, Ms McCullough said after growing up in care, she knew from a young age that she wanted to become a social worker.

But she realised quickly that she was not quite ready for the course and was disappointed to fail her final placement.

She went on to work in the voluntary sector for 15 years and had two sons, but her hopes of being a social worker never faded and she returned to Queen's.

She said that this time round, the student support she received helped her learn how to structure assignments and reference properly.

"This time everything made sense and my lived experience of the world of work helped me on my journey," she said.

"I also had support from Queen's as I was a student who grew up in care."

However, during her final year, life became challenging for Ms McCullough. She said adjusting to the changes in finances, looking after her two young sons - one with Asperger’s and one with hearing difficulties - and caring for her elderly mother added a strain to her life.

"Queen's staff were so supportive and encouraged me to keep going to achieve my dreams" " she said.

"I am now working full-time as a social worker with 'looked after children' and I feel like I have come full circle."

Meanwhile, a student who completed exams while in quarantine in India has graduated with a Masters in Electronics with Professional Internship.

Karthik Kumar (25) came to Belfast in 2019 to start his masters. When the pandemic hit, he got news from home that his father had fallen ill.

"I received a call from India that my Dad had been diagnosed with a cardiac arrest. The borders to India were closed and no flights were available from the UK to India. This was the start of the biggest battle of my life: one side, my Dad was in the ICU and on the other, I needed to concentrate to do well in my exams," he said.

Two months later, he managed to fly to India. He spent 14 days in quarantine completing his exams before finally being able to go and see his father in ICU.

His father was discharged from hospital the following week and he spent a month with him while completing his final projects. Karthik spent the next few months enjoying his placement until he got the news out of the blue that his father had suddenly died.

"When I look back at everything that has happened in just two short years, I can’t believe I’m now graduating with my degree and fulfilling my parents dream," he said.