Here Cassie* talks about her experiences in her own words:
“This pandemic has affected me in many different ways. So, to begin with, I had to leave home because my relationship with my parents fell apart, broke down. It was declining for years but being with them 24/7 when quarantine started sped up the inevitable and things reached a point where I just couldn’t live with them anymore.”
“I moved into a property with Key and things were alright for a while but obviously due to lockdown I was stuck in the house all the time with nothing to do – there’s only so much Netflix you can watch! I was in the house just bored until I got a job with the food bank as a volunteer and was able to spend time there, be with people, actually help others out, and that was fun for a while.”
“Then came A-level results day and that whole fiasco. So due to the government’s algorithm I ended up missing out on my firm university choice and my insurance choice and I had to find a place through Clearing. And I did! I’m off to study at Uni and I’m grateful that despite everything that happened such a great university accepted me.”
“But then came the issue of student finances, because obviously this whole coronavirus pandemic has affected working class people the most, and despite me leaving home, even if I lived with my family I would’ve struggled.”
“Student Finance England kind of came to the rescue, they’re giving people like me a little bit more, along with KEY Project who helped me find grants and bursaries and stuff so I’ll be able to manage through the whole transition process. I’ll be able to get my things, be able to leave for uni and settle in just fine, so I’m grateful for that as well.”
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*Please note that names may have been changed and stock photography used to preserve the anonymity of this young person