Sandra Huggett
Despite always wanting to be a beauty therapist, Sandra, 50, is only now on her way to becoming one. She was brought up in a children’s home, labelled as ‘thick’ at school and left unable to read or write. After going to Bexley College, Sandra was diagnosed as dyslexic. She is now improving her literacy skills alongside studying to become a beauty therapist – which includes learning Latin terminology – and hopes to open her own salon.
Over the years, Sandra worked in a variety of jobs which avoided reading and writing; in a bakery she would order stock by drawing pictures. However, her husband started to teach her to read and encouraged her to go to college. Sandra is now studying NVQ Level 2 Beauty Therapy and has progressed from Entry Level 2 in Literacy to Level 1/ Level 2, and has achieved this in just a matter of months.
As an added boost, Sandra has been able to work with her niece and nephew who have both been diagnosed with dyslexia. She has been able to pass on what she’s learnt in her tutorial sessions and is now helping with their development.
“I found it very hard in my first year, but after doing dyslexia classes [they] have made me feel I can do anything now. It is as if I am a flower and I’ve had water – it’s made me open up and bloom for the first time.”