Natalie Nevitt

Natalie Nevitt joined the English with Writing course at Glyndŵr University in 2006. She’s currently preparing to study for a PGCE in English later in 2009.

Her new career promises to be somewhat different from her previous job as a manager of a car hire firm.

“I was the manager of a local car hire firm where I was involved in the buying and selling of fleet vehicles amongst other things, this wasn’t what I wanted to do any more so I began to rethink my life. I went to a local primary school and did some voluntary work; this inspired me to think I could do something else with my future. I already had A levels but, because I’d been out of education for so long, I decided to enrol on an Access to Higher Education course. This really brought me up to speed with the skills I’ve needed for my degree.

“I am married with three children and as they are my main priority I needed to work around them and family life. I knew of several people who’d been here and done different courses; they all spoke very highly of the university. I therefore decided to take the plunge and had a look around; the facilities here are fantastic. It’s been invaluable to be able to carry on with my normal family life as well as being a commited student.”

For Natalie, the decision to study English was an easy one.

“I’ve always been a bookworm and loved literature. The decision was nothing more complicated than that really. To be able to use my knowledge to educate others really excites me. Older students, rather than those of primary school age look more closely at literary novels and that’s what interests me most. I’d like to be able to convey my enthusiasm and interests to them.  Teaching is a brilliant way for me to use the knowledge I’ve gained from my English degree. I've always wanted to do something more hands on, and teaching will give me the chance to do that. It will also be a way for me to keep in touch with what my own children are doing academically.”

Natalie’s studied all aspects of literature on the course, from Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flanders through to post-modern and more contemporary writing. It’s also given her the chance to experiment with all sorts of different writing – including poetry, novels, short stories and writing for children.

She was the winner of a BBC short story competition in writing for children – an achievement which brought her a free 12-month cinema pass and a trip down to the BBC in London. Her work was also displayed on www.bbc.co.uk and in a BBC book designed to inspire people to start writing.

“The story was called The Big Top Tear. It was set around a space circus show that was in danger of being cancelled because of a tear in the circus tent. The characters worked together to get it fixed in time, and the show ultimately goes ahead and is the best show ever.

“I couldn’t believe it when I won. Creative writing was something that I thought I’d never be able to do – it was the one thing that worried me when I started the course. It’s completely different from writing an academic essay and it definitely wasn’t my strong point. However, the writing aspect of the course has been really fabulous. The fact that I won a competition is something I never thought I could turn my hand to 3 years ago and is a great testimony to the lecturers here.

“I’ve enjoyed every single aspect of being at university. I can’t commend the staff enough. It’s been hard work at times but their support has been terrific. When I walk past other people on campus – staff and other students – everyone knows who you are by name and that adds to the atmosphere. It’s what the university is all about.”