Taia Overcomes Language Barriers with Distinction

Taia, 18, of Poole, only came to the UK in 2022 and, after first living in Wales, moved to Dorset to continue her studies. She admits she partly chose Bournemouth and Poole College because of its excellent dance studio so she could combine her passion for ballroom dancing with her studies.

The biggest challenge she had to overcome was getting to grips with the technical terms associated with Psychology. “The course itself was quite hard at first when I started college; the new terms were very specific to the subjects I was studying,” she said. “I had to learn very specialist language and the pressure to do my best was quite high. I ended up knowing more specialist terms than actual English language terms for a while.”

Lecturer Graeme Field said she set about the task with enthusiasm. “As a Ukrainian refugee with English as a second language, the technical nature of the language we use in Psychology could have presented a huge challenge for Taia,” he said.

“However, she was so diligent in her application to the work and dedicated to her own progress that she was able to surmount these issues easily.”

The handwritten exams might have been a stumbling block but Taia’s hard work pulled her through. “This is a fantastic achievement for any student and particularly more so for Taia given her background,” said Graeme. “The experiment she designed, carried out and wrote up in Year 1 was one of the best I have ever seen. It was very real-world relevant, involved a huge amount of work and demonstrated an incredibly thorough understanding of psychological methodology.”

He said one of her peers told her she was a great role model. “It was a great compliment,” he said.

It wasn’t just her studies she impressed in. She was a Senior Student Representative and took part in a panel discussion at the college’s staff conference this year. She impressed panel members including BCP Council Leader Cllr Millie Earl, Poole MP Neil Duncan-Jordan and Dorset Chamber Chief Executive Ian Girling in discussions about the impact and benefits the college brings to the BCP area.

Her efforts as a rep won her a Community Contribution Award at a college awards ceremony in June.

Louise Garner, Director of Science, Care and Health at the college said that Taia is a great example of how to succeed. “She worked so hard at her course, applied herself fully to her studies and has come out with a shining set of results,” she said. “She has been a pleasure to have here and we wish her the very best in the future.”

Taia’s mum Tatiana spoke of the family’s pride in her achievement. “What she has done is very difficult, she had to come and study in England, and I really am so proud,” she said.

Taia will go on to study Journalism at City St. George’s University of London.