In her own words, Ella explains: “I was kicked out of school in year 10, just before my GCSE’s so I didn’t gain any. Llamau was able to let me sit my GCSE math and English equivalent,something that I never thought I’d compete. When I eventually passed them, my tutors Laura and Amy pushed me towards youth work in university, something I never thought I’d be able to do because school was never something I enjoyed and struggled quite a bit at”.
From 17 Ella, received support from Llamau with housing, education and mentoring. She is currently living in the flat we helped secure for her and with support from our team Ella’s confidence grew and she happily acknowledges this resulted in her life improving significantly. During her time at university Ella has shown real determination to succeed, this has seen her undertake paid employment as a youth worker at the same time as studying for her degree. Now in her final year Llamau is welcoming Ella into our Learning and Engagement Team as part of her student placement. This will allow her to gain valuable experience whilst also playing a valuable role in helping young people to improve their lives.
At the 2026 Llamau Education Achievement Awards, addressing the audience Ella offered this inspiration:
“It doesn’t matter where you are in life right now, it is a journey, and you will get where you need to eventually”.
