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A teenager thought her dreams of going to Oxford University were over after becoming ill while studying for her A-Levels. Megan Kelly, from Ingleby Barwick, had severe allergic reactions which threatened to scupper her plans to go to Oxford, as her attendance at Prior Pursglove College suffered.
Megan said: "In my second year, it dropped to 70%, which wasn't fantastic, and I expected to be going to my second choice of University, St Andrews, because of this." However, her dedication and resilience meant she still got the grades needed to be accepted at Oxford, as they included A-stars in her EPQ and history, as well as As in Spanish and classic civilisations.
She is due leave Teesside to start her course at Oxford University, where she will study Spanish and beginners' Russian, on October 5. Megan said: "The staff at Prior Pursglove College really helped me - they were so amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better experience than I got with them.
"Every form of support you can imagine was put in place for me, from the management of my allergies at college to support with my studies. My allergies are very severe, but they managed to cater for me, and my tutor was also my Spanish teacher and really helped me."
Megan admits it was "scary" being so ill at "such a vital time in my life". She said: "The fact this college was able to support me and my healthcare needs so well has meant I have been able to reach my goal of going to Oxford in spite of my poor health.
"At Prior, you never feel like a number, you feel like an individual person, and everyone knows your name and is so lovely. There's not one person I have met who isn't kind - and that's really nice in a college."
Student of the Year awards
Megan also had a mock interview with CEO Nichole to help her prepare for her university interview, something she found a nerve-wracking prospect. Now, Megan is in the running to be named the Student of the Year at the Tees Businesswomen Awards.
She will be joined at the awards by Dr Nichole Munro, chief executive of the Atomix Educational Trust, which Guisborough's Prior Pursglove is part of, as Nichole has also been shortlisted in the Lifelong Inspiration category, recognising her work in education internationally.
She said: "I was really shocked and I rang Resolution back saying, 'I've been nominated for this award - is that right?'. Olivia Wytcherley, the head of centre at Prior Pursglove had nominated me, so I emailed her and said 'thank you so much - that's amazing!'
"It's a massive honour and really lovely to know people at the college think well of you." Nichole also said she was "surprised" when she found out she had been shortlisted as a Lifelong Inspiration.
She said: "I was genuinely really surprised because you do tend to think of other people in that category and how well they have done, so my first thought was, 'what have I done to deserve that?' - but it was a lovely surprise."
'Oxford is unlike any other university experience'
Megan is now looking forward to building on the "exceptional" educational experience she has had with Atomix at Oxford.
She said: "It is unlike any other university experience and I am looking forward to being surrounded by other like-minded people. I always want to continue to grow - emotionally, socially and academically - and the only way to do that is to put yourself up against a challenge, so I'm really looking forward to meeting new people and experiencing new things at Oxford.
"I met people online from the start of September and there have been lots of group chats going on where we are all talking and supporting each other."
Nichole added: "We are very proud of Megan and the many other students at Prior Pursglove who have gone on to Oxford, Cambridge and the other Russell Group Universities or higher education establishments, not to mention those who have gone into apprenticeships or employment.
"At Prior Pursglove, what we do really well - irrespective of the young person's starting point - is offer support on their journey. "We have higher than average numbers of young people going to the top universities, so we are proud of our performance as a longstanding educational institution on Teesside."
The Tees Businesswomen Awards takes place in the Coleman Suite at Hardwick Hall on Thursday November 6, from 6.30pm until late.