My first Magazine KWETB Autumn Brochure 2017 A5 [hi-res] Final | Page 138

2017
BR
136
Student Profile
Bray Further Education and
Training Centre,
1 Brennans Parade, Bray, Co Wicklow.
Tanya Byrne
My name is Tanya Byrne and I’ve been a
student at Bray Adult Learning Centre for three
years.
I always regretted leaving school early. Three
years ago I decided it’s now or never. My
biggest fears were having to read aloud in
front of people, not knowing if I’d have the
confidence to say when I didn’t understand
something in class and the fear of falling
behind again.
As soon as I started at the centre I learnt that
not only did I have the support of the tutors
but the other students as well. I surprised
myself how much I enjoyed the class and took
to it like a duck to water.
Over two years I completed my QQI Major
Award in General Learning at Level 3. That
included Communications, Maths, IT and so
much more.
I then registered on a Back to Education
Initiative programme at Level 4 at the Centre
and am now working towards gaining my
Major Award at Level 4.
I have learned so much and am now so much
more confident. Everyday I’m on the computer
doing something; class work, shopping,
banking, looking up information and on social
media. Going back to education has made a
huge difference to my life. I feel more assertive
and can use more formal language when
writing letters. I had a mental block about
maths. The tutor told me that we would learn
in steps and build up our knowledge so that
we’d be able to tackle everything. ‘Trust me’
she said - I did and here I am!
Tanya Byrne