When Ligia Andrea Salinas Rivera reflected on the moment she contemplated her future career path after deciding to change course, she explained: “I was crying because I didn’t know what to do.”
Having arrived in England from El Salvador just four years ago with limited English, the prospect of tackling an engineering course seemed daunting – especially after being warned it was “all maths.”
Today, Ligia, 20, is not only excelling in her Engineering Level 3 course, consistently hitting distinctions, but she has been crowned Hartlepool College of Further Education’s Student of the Year. Her pride after she was honoured, quite rightly, was written all over her face as she chatted and is grateful for the faith her lecturers placed in her potential. Ligia’s journey to the top award is a testament to her resilience.