Mollie overcomes challenges to graduate from Queen’s with dream degree

The 22-year-old overcame mental health challenges during her time at university to graduate.

Mollie said: “At secondary school I was head girl, on the student council, setting up clubs to support women, and doing media interviews talking about current affairs. On paper, it made sense that I should thrive at university.

“My first year was during the pandemic, along with personal struggles and relationship issues my mental health took a tumble. While I managed to pass all my classes, my attendance wasn't always great, and I never felt like I truly met any friends.”

After a challenging start, Mollie was determined to get help.

She said: “In second year, I was ready to admit that I was depressed, and I decided to do something about it by speaking to a therapist which helped me a lot.

“I then decided to join a society at Queen’s, the Musical Theatre Society, where I finally got to know people and the rehearsals broke the week up for me.

"Then in my second and third year I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone. I ended up being the course representative for my degree, and I joined the student blogging programme where I created YouTube videos and articles for the University.

“I was actually able to help a few people from my old school navigate their first year at Queen's and reach people through my TikTok platform where I have 15,000 followers, giving them advice on beginning their university journey.”

Talking about her favourite memory, Mollie said: “The most enjoyable experience was making my final project for my cinematography class in second year.

"The script chosen for the film was one I had written and as a result I got to try my hand at casting, directing, producing - seeing my vision come to life.

"Being on set for that and raising funding to pay the actors was a great experience. I finally felt more like my confident self, and it made me think that creative writing could be a good career avenue for me.”

Mollie now hopes to embark on a Master’s degree in Creative Writing.

Visit: https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/film-theatre-making-ba-ww65/

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