Judith's Answer To 'Why Me?' Wins Dream University Course
3 August 2010
Judith Higgins winner of the 'Why Me' Campaign.
We ran the 'Why Me?' campaign to find people committed to improving their skills, which certainly applies to Judith
”Peter Allen, University Marketing Director
A woman with severe health problems who won a University of Derby competition to do a postgraduate course wants to set up a firm to help, and employ, people in her situation.
The University's 'Why Me?' campaign, launched in April (2010), asked people to say in 500 words or less why they should get £1,000 off a postgraduate course of their choice.
Judith Higgins' winning application said she would use the knowledge gained from doing a Masters (MSc) Business and Enterprise Management degree to set up a social firm - which is run along business lines but tackles social issues - to teach people how to manage long term health problems, to lead more fulfilling lives. A quarter of the firm's workforce would be people with disabilities.
Applicants for the 'Why Me?' campaign competition could choose from different types of postgraduate courses in a range of subjects including accountancy, business, acoustics, environmental health, psychotherapy, computer games production, education, commercial law and graphic design.
Mother-of-two Judith, of Winster, near Matlock, has fibromyalgia. People with the condition experience pains in their muscles, tendons and ligaments; severe fatigue and occasional mobility problems.
Judith is a volunteer tutor with the NHS Derbyshire County Primary Care Trust, teaching people with long term health conditions how to manage pain and their other issues. She is also a current student of the University's Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector course.
She will begin her Masters (MSc) Business and Enterprise Management course next month (September).
Judith said: "Despite my disability I have always been determined to continue working. There is a gap in the employment market for people with disabilities and long term health conditions.
"I would like to set up an information service to enable those people to maintain a better balance between health, work and home, despite their problems. We could teach practical techniques and skills for living, to increase their quality of life despite the physical limitations they have.
"The University's postgraduate course will give me the time and the knowledge to develop the skills and expertise required, and the academic support to put my ideas into a workable new programme. This could then be sold on to companies who have staff with health problems."
Peter Allen, University Marketing Director, said: "We ran the 'Why Me?' campaign to find people committed to improving their skills, which certainly applies to Judith. Her determination to use the knowledge from her studies to help others is inspirational."
For further media information please contact Press and PR Officer Sean Kirby on 01332 591891 or 07876 476103, or email s.kirby@derby.ac.uk.
