What brought you to Fircroft?

Luke first came to Fircroft 4 years ago after hearing about us from friends who were also previous Fircroft students. Luke was kicked out of school at a young age which had a huge impact on his development. Things began to deteriorate for Luke further as he then developed an addiction and became homeless. However, despite all of this, Luke never lost his desire to get back into education to help improve his current situation.

Luke says: “Addiction made me miss a lot in my life, but I always had a sincere desire to study and Fircroft provided a safe place for me to do that. I had a lot of respect for Fircroft even before I arrived. In many other institutions, I may have experienced some stigma because of my past, however, at Fircroft I always felt supported and safe. I loved the grounds and it was a perfect place to just get away and think”.

Luke then went onto study our Access to Higher Education Diploma (Social Science and Humanities) course which is a 9-month foundation course that provides students with a great pathway for getting into university.

Benefits of studying at Fircroft

Luke really valued the college’s key principle of social justice which is strongly embedded in its ethos and says: “I admired the history of Fircroft so much as I was always interested in social justice and political activism. I also appreciated how the college was designed so that working people can still better themselves and study. A lot of social issues were discussed at the college and I particularly enjoyed when a member of the Black Lives Matter movement came in to speak with us”.

 

                                                         Luke Trainor 

Where are you now and where are you hoping to get to?

Through hard work and determination and in difficult circumstances, Luke completed the college’s Access to Higher Education Diploma (Social Science and Humanities) and went on to study Political Science and Social Policy at the University of Birmingham, graduating this summer (2020) with a First Class degree!

“My journey started with Fircroft, without them I just wouldn’t have made it to where I am today”. Luke focused his dissertation on the politics of addiction and the theory that political regimes and policies can create addicts just by how people are viewed in society. “I was the person that would’ve been seen to be falling through the cracks, so I had a clear understanding of the things that needed to change to ensure those things didn’t happen to me again”.

Luke is now planning to embark on his Master’s degree as well as working with his university to develop a campus recovery program so that students who may be suffering from addiction can have a safe place to go to so they feel supported. Luke says:

“I cried when I found out I achieved a First. It was just so overwhelming that I achieved something that I had set out to do”.

Fircroft College would like to say a huge congratulations to Luke for all that he has achieved and we are proud of what he is continuing to do for people battling with addictions