A Buckinghamshire New University student is on track to achieve a First-Class law degree despite balancing her studies with raising a young child and coping with family medical emergencies.

Selina Sayers, 40, is in the final year of the LLB Law programme at BNU's High Wycombe campus after returning to education later in life to pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer.

The mature student, who lives in Reading, decided to enrol at the Wycombe university after careers in finance, sales and hairdressing.

Selina said: “I reached a point where I needed to go back to education and start a career I could truly call my own.

“When I was younger I always wanted to be a lawyer. It wasn’t until a law module during a higher education course that it all came back to me. I realised, this is my calling.”

She chose Buckinghamshire New University because of its location and welcoming atmosphere, but her studies took an unexpected turn during her second year when she discovered she was pregnant.

Since then, Selina has balanced lectures, coursework and revision alongside life as a mother to a new-born and now toddler.

She said: “I give myself a strict timetable. Mornings are for bonding time, then afternoons are focused on university work – lectures, recordings and notes. It’s all about prioritising.”

The journey has not been without setbacks. During her degree, her daughter spent several days in hospital with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), leaving Selina trying to juggle her studies with caring for a seriously ill child.

“It was devastating,” she said. “She was on a feeding tube and struggling to breathe.

“I was trying to stay on top of everything, but the support at BNU was amazing. I was given an extension and, despite the stress, I still achieved a 2:1 in that module.”

Sukhninder Panesar, head of law at Buckinghamshire New University, praised Selina's determination.

He said: “Selina’s work ethic is exceptional. To navigate such significant personal challenges while consistently producing work of this standard is an incredible feat.

“We're incredibly proud of her. She's a fantastic example of what our students can achieve when they have that level of determination.”

After graduating from BNU, Selina plans to qualify as a solicitor through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) route and hopes to specialise in commercial and intellectual property law.

She ultimately wants to run her own law firm and says graduating from the High Wycombe university will be a “full circle” moment.

“It means so much,” she said. “All the struggles, the tantrums – it’s all been worth it.

“I’ve shown my daughters that if you’re motivated, anything is possible.”