A student who became a mother for the second time while studying for her Masters will graduate from Cardiff Metropolitan University this week.
Chantelle Evans
Chantelle Evans, 36, from Cardiff, started the Forensic Psychology Masters in 2020 during the pandemic when all teaching was online, alongside being a mother to two young children – including an 18-month-old son who was born while she was on the course.
Chantelle said: “I decided to go to university when my daughter started nursery school which meant I had a bit more time to concentrate on myself as I wanted to enhance my career prospects and learn something new. After completing my BSc Psychology with Criminology and Criminal Justice degree at the University of South Wales, I decided to continue with my studies as I really enjoyed the course and wanted to specialise in forensic psychology.
“Although I enjoyed the MSc, it was a difficult journey at times. I was also quite unwell for the majority of my pregnancy. I had to complete a lot my work when the baby was asleep, but my partner was great often taking both children out for the day when I had deadlines looming to give me some extra time. I had to be kind to myself and accept the fact that I was trying to complete work under difficult circumstances so didn’t beat myself up too much if I didn’t achieve the high grades that I wanted.”
Chantelle also has a job at the National Probation Service where she has worked for over four years. She continued: “I now plan to hopefully work my way up the job ladder, and once my baby is a bit older, I’m hoping to return to my studies and complete the training and qualifications needed to become a forensic psychologist.”
