Twenty year old Mellissa Stubbings is a young woman who has shown considerable grit and determination in setting herself up in her chosen career path.
Mellissa left Wick High School at the end of fourth year and secured accommodation for herself and young son in the town. Life was not easy as a young, single parent and she knew she was capable of achieving better grades than she did whilst at school. Melissa decided then and there that she wanted to achieve more from life than merely accepting her lot.
Initially, she approached Working For Families - an initiative set up to help disadvantaged families move into training, education, or employment. This proved to be a catalyst for change, and they organised childcare. Mellissa initially started studying ECDL. She then attended Wick College on a part time basis. At that time, the method of studying suited her as she had also gained temporary employment as a care assistant at the Riverside Nursing Home. Mellissa enjoyed working ther and decided that she would like to become more involved in the sector. With the support of North Highland College staff and childcare support, her hours of attendance increased and this led to her being accepted onto the full time Access To Health, Child And Social Care course in Thurso during the 2006 / 07 academic session.
During her study, Mellissa developed an interest in the nursing profession, and the subjects she studied throughout the AHSC course not only increased her knowledge, but also her determination to become a fully qualified nurse.
Directly after achieving her qualification at the The North Highland College, Mellissa applied, and was accepted onto the degree level course at the University Of Stirling, Inverness campus. However, Mellissa had to overcome yet more obstacles. In particular, there was a waiting list for accommodation which prevented her moving to Inverness with her son. Despite writing to the local MP, Mellissa was unable to resolve this problem. Her mother stepped into the breach, and agreed to help with childcare whilst Mellissa spent up three to four days away from home during the week. Mellissa shares accommodation with other students and recently started her second year of the course.
As well as learning the theoretical aspects of nursing, Mellissa has been on several work placements including helping school nurses, community midwives, and stints in Caithness General, and Town And County hospitals all located around and about Wick. She has even secured a place in the work bank as an auxiliary in Town And County hospital’s mental health unit.
Mellissa has dealt with many issues and overcome obstacles that the majority of young people her age have not had to contend with. Mellissa has learned a great deal from her learning experiences and asserts that this has made her a much stronger person. She has actively sought support mechanisms and pushed down barriers to achieve her goals.
Mellissa vividly recalls a quote from her psychology class whilst studying the Access To Health, Child And Social Care course. German based psychologist Erikson (1963) proposed various stages of psycho-social development - the last of which is ego integrity versus ego despair. As people age they become increasingly aware of the limitations of time and begin to assess their lives. People who have embraced life are said to have achieved ego integrity. However, people who have regretted aspects of their lives are in a state of ego despair. Mellissa realised that she did not want to look back on her life and have any regrets. She says, “At least I can say I have tried.”
Mellissa firmly believes you can do anything if you believe in yourself.