The Secret Life of Students - Tanya

AGE: 21
LIVING: At home
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single with a two year old daughter
STUDYING: Criminology
SOCIAL NETWORKING: Tania finds her course’s Facebook group a really useful place to communicate with course mates as she never has time to say behind after lectures to chat and make friends.

At 18, Tanya was happy, engaged and about to have the family she always wanted. Four months into her pregnancy, she found out her fiancé had cheated on her; the wedding was called off and the relationship was over. She became a single mum before her baby was even born. From expecting to live the rest of her life as a housewife, the split turned Tanya’s life upside-down and she was determined to not let it ruin her, or her daughter’s life.

Tanya never planned to go to university but faced with the future as a single parent, she felt the pressure of having to provide for her own child. After completing her maternity leave, Tanya applied to go to college, and juggled bringing up a new born baby with her A Level exams. After passing her A Levels, she had the confidence to apply to university – something she had never dreamed of doing.

Now 21, Tanya lives in her own house with her 2 year old daughter, Skye, and is a first year criminology student at The University of Leicester.

Every day at the crack of dawn she gets up to take Skye to nursery before she makes the hour commute to university - she then rushes home to resume her role as mummy - it’s always a mad rush.

Tanya has some important work due in before the end of the first time, which she’s worried about finding the time to complete. Can she juggle the life of a student with being a single mum? Can she prove to herself that she can do both?