Jennifer Amy Leigh: create your own lane and never give up!
Monday 29 July 2019
Jennifer Amy Leigh is a twenty-five year old full-time Civil Servant and part-time law student from Southport. Recently, the British Dyslexia Association spoke to her about her journey with dyslexia and how she has achieved more than she ever believed possible:
"I was diagnosed with dyslexia during primary school. Unfortunately, my school and sixth form college could not cater for my needs. It was not until university that I was given the support, extra-time and use of a word processor in assessments as I require.
Regardless of these initial barriers, due to my hard work, determination, commitment and ability to find new ways to study, I have been able to achieve things beyond my wildest dreams! Through focus, I achieved A and B grades in my GCSEs and A Levels. Due to passion, I was awarded a University of Liverpool scholarship and graduated with a 2:1 in B.A. (Hons) English. Through perseverance, I graduated with a Merit in M.A. Politics from The University of Manchester and had three of my essays published. Most recently, because of drive, I won The University of Law’s Choose Law Full Fee Scholarship. Now I am a full-time Civil Servant and part-time law student with hopes to combine these interests in the near future by becoming a government trainee solicitor.
However, without a doubt, my most special achievement was in November 2017 when I won the British Dyslexia Association's Highly Commended Adult Award. This gave me the confidence to finally speak openly about my learning difficulty.
My high school English teacher once told my mother during parents evening that I would unfortunately never excel in English. I went on to be awarded an English Literature Scholarship at the original Red Brick University.
Create your own lane and NEVER give up!"