An ambitious young woman and former student of East Durham College has been selected for a 30 under 30 nomination in Birmingham.
Kirsty-Louise Card, 21, originally from Houghton-Le-Spring and now living in Birmingham has been nominated for the awards - which recognise talented young people in the local community - for her inspiring work in Birmingham city. Kirsty was nominated by multiple people for her volunteer work with charity Cysters and her fight against Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, alongside her school rep work and investigative news site which she started in August last year.
At East Durham College, Kirsty originally studied Child Care for a year from 2013-2014, and then switched to A Levels in Media Studies, English Literature and Film Studies. She recently got in touch with us here at the college to let us know about her progress since college, and said:
"I started doing childcare at EDC because that was what my mum convinced me to do. The college staff quickly realised that it wasn't going well, and awarded me the chance to do what I really wanted. When I started my A Levels I became very ill, and I also had to move out of my family home so life was really difficult back then. The A Level lecturers were very helpful in getting me through my exams, and supported me with everything that was going on around me.
"If I had to give advice to anyone coming to study at EDC, it's this - I would tell them to take every opportunity they can to be who they want to be, and not to give up even when it gets very difficult sometimes. The college has some of the most supportive staff so don't struggle in silence, they're there to help you and in many cases, asking for help is just the boost you need to get where you want to be."
After leaving East Durham College, Kirsty went on to study Media and Communications: Journalism at Birmingham City University. This has resulted in her having placements at the Northern Echo, Sunderland Echo, Birmingham Live, Redditch Standard, Express and Star. She's currently working as a School Representative for the School of Media at Birmingham City University.
In her spare time, Kirsty is a volunteer at Cysters, a charity which focuses on the awareness of women's health issues such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. It was through this work, and her drive to succeed in media, that she received the 30-under-30 list nomination.
"It feels amazing to be nominated for the 30 under 30." said Kirsty, "I'm very honoured that people believed I deserved to be on that list, and the fact that I made it on there with people from the BBC too - just wow! I've worked extra hard at everything I've done and it's great to be recognised for that!"
In the future, Kirsty wants to work her way into data journalism, as well as continuing her work for Cysters and being an advocate for women's health care.
