Written by Jessica Wright, from Southern REAP NCEA 4U programme as part of her L3 NCEA English course [abridged]

We either hated school or liked it. Me, well I was there to hang out with my friends, and eat my lunch, well that’s what my Mum would say. So I never really cared about my education. I was already working part time to pay for things I thought I really needed or wanted. So when it came to the education side of things it wasn’t my top priority. I worked hard in my part time job as a cook so there really wasn’t time for studying back then. With no study in my brain I went into exams not really knowing too much. So when the results came back, you guessed it, I failed miserably. To my mother’s dismay I preferred the money, so I quit school in 2005, moved into a flat with my boyfriend, worked, worked, and worked some more.

Then snap I was 16 years old. I’m pregnant so no more education, no more work. Once I was seven months pregnant I had nothing to fall back on… When I became pregnant I wasn’t capable of working in the job. I was a smoker. I was living off Welfare benefits even before I was 21. I had no high school qualifications and no opportunity for training.

To my surprise seven years later when I was 24 I got the chance of a lifetime, an opportunity to get an education to finish off my NCEA. This time I was ready. I knew that I could not mess this up. I need these qualifications to get the career I truly want. I totally understand why I needed it when I was younger as my life choices have been so limited without the qualifications so valued by employers.

Southern REAP have introduced a programme for young mums to achieve what they couldn’t when they were younger or for those that have had problems at school. I would like to pass all 3 levels of NCEA. With the provision of a cr.che to look after our children it made the decision to study easier because I was free to concentrate and ask for help if needed. Back in my youth I was so scared I didn’t ask for help when I didn’t understand study content. In my first year back studying it was hard. I talked lots because I didn’t believe I could do it. In my second year I worked so hard and I tasted success as a student for the first time ever. I’m now in my third year of study. I’ve found my voice. I’ve found my identity. I know that I will have the qualifications that my future employer will be looking for.

To all those people who are at school hating it, I say, “When life’s curve balls come your way, you’re less likely to be a statistic, so stay at school. Ask for help. There’s no point being ashamed. Get those qualifications and the future you deserve.”