An inspirational sociology student, who is a care leaver, has overcome the odds and graduated with a PhD from Manchester Met after returning to higher education 12 years ago.
Carla Cordner entered foster care with her two sisters in 1997 when she was seven years old and was in the care system until she was 18.
After moving and settling in a new area, Cordner was encouraged by her aftercare worker to pursue a career as a teacher and was supported in studying for her GCSE’s and then accessing higher education.
According to a Civitas report from 2023, only 14% of care leavers under 19 progress to higher education compared with 47% of their peers.
In a journey of extraordinary resilience, Cordner won a place at Manchester Met studying BSc (Hons) in Criminology and Sociology, a subject which she was passionate about.
Reflecting on her time studying at the University, Cordner said: “I had a lot of support from the University including one to one support with tutors and staff which I’m extremely grateful for. The personal connections I made with staff and the environment I studied in made me feel like a normal student who wasn’t judged for being a care leaver which is what kept me in education.
“When I was a teenager, I hated education. I didn’t want to be in school and the thought of going to college scared me, but I knew that I had to do it in order to get somewhere. When I went to University and I was doing really well, the value of education became so important to me which completely changed my outlook.”
While studying for her undergraduate degree, Cordner enjoyed working with statistics which led her to change her mind about becoming a teacher and instead continuing to study for a masters in Applied Quantitative Methods and most recently graduating with a PhD in Sociology.
Coming full circle, Cordner is now a lecturer in Quantitative Social Sciences at the University and is continuing to research the care system and advocating for care leavers.
Liz Cain, Head of Sociology at Manchester Met, said: “Carla’s journey is inspirational, and is testament to her hard work and determination. We are extremely proud that she is now a colleague in the Sociology department; alongside her ongoing research into the experiences of care leavers, Carla is also passionate about delivering an outstanding educational experience to all our students. We are excited to see the impact of her work in the years ahead.”
While studying at Manchester Met, Cordner took advantage of the University’s Care Leavers Bursary which offers £1,000 of financial support for care leavers for each year of their course.
Speaking about the bursary, she said: “The financial support I received helped me to not only attend but also succeed in education by covering the costs for transport, books, and my laptop.
“As well as studying, I was also managing my own property, I had my own responsibilities, and I didn’t have family who could support me. The bursary added to the value of going to university as I had the same resources that everybody else had access to.”
Since her graduation at Bridgewater Hall in July, Cordner plans to continue with academia in her current role alongside her research into care leavers and advocating for change for future generations.
She said: “One of the main things I intend to do with my research is to stop the negative stereotypes around care leavers. I believe that once we change the negative stereotypes of care leavers and focus more on what they’re doing well, then more care leavers are likely to receive positive feedback and have the tools they need to succeed further.
“I know there’s care leavers out there that need support and the system needs to change for them so I’m going to continue to advocate for care leavers in the future to help make positive changes.”
