A teenager who is on track to turn her life around has been selected for a prestigious award which recognises the achievements of young people in Cambridgeshire.
Ronnie Hill, of Bath Road, Wisbech, is a finalist in the Linx Young People of the Year (YOPEY) awards.
The 18 year old left school without qualifications but is now studying child care at the College of West Anglia.
She has just completed her Level 2 Certificate programme Health and Social Care and Childcare with a Distinction.
And after another year’s study she hopes to go on to either help young children or the elderly.
This is on top of helping her single mum look after her 15 year old brother Joshua, who has ADHD, and sister Kim.
If that was not enough, Ronnie also completed a National Citizen Service course in April.
She said: “My mum’s had a hard time as she’s dyslexic and struggles to find any work.
“She really needs the support. She gets nothing elsewhere, and as the oldest daughter it’s my responsibility to help where I can.
“I’m really close to my mum. She helped me out throughout her life, so it’s my turn to help her back.”
College of West Anglia tutor Margaret Goman, who nominated Ronnie, said: “Ronnie would be the first to offer support, guidance and encouragement to other students.
“She is always one of the first members of the class to respond and contribute ideas and her journey of personal development into a confident, self-assured and independent young woman has been outstanding.
“The thing we noticed most about Ronnie is her desire to achieve and do well for herself and her family. This is a credit to Ronnie.
“She is aware that she needs to get a number of qualifications to achieve her dreams and move forward as quickly as she can.”
The Cambs YOPEY is open to young people aged from 10 to 25, who live, work or study in the county.
As well as Cambridge Regional College and Linx, this year’s YOPEY is also sponsored by LifePlus of St Neots, Hutchinsons of Wisbech, G’s of Ely, TTP Group of Melbourn, ARM, Building Services Design, Cambridge Assessment, Kiss Communications, Stratagem IPM and Mathworks, all of Cambridge, and Peterborough Regional College.
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