In this post, Year 2 student (2025-2026), Vicki Wright writes about what led her to the BA Childhood Practice programme at Edinburgh University through her experience advocating for her own children and developing a passion for supporting children with additional support needs. What began as an intimidating leap into academia has changed her into a confident and ambitious student who is now looking ahead to a master’s degree and a PhD.

If you had told me a few years ago that I would be walking through the iconic buildings of the University of Edinburgh as a Childhood Practice student, thinking about a master’s degree, and even dreaming about a PhD, I probably would have laughed.

Yet here I am.

Sometimes life takes you somewhere you never expected to go, but exactly where you were meant to be.  My journey into education began in beauty therapy. For years, I worked in an industry focused on confidence, care, and helping people feel good about themselves. What I didn’t realise at the time was that those same skills would eventually lead me somewhere completely different.

The real turning point came through my own children.  Having neurodivergent children was what first brought me into the education system in a completely different way. As a parent, you quickly learn how important advocacy, understanding, inclusion, and genuine support are for your children. You see firsthand the difference one trusted adult can make in a child’s life,  and equally, how much work still needs to be done.

What started as navigating the system for my own children slowly became a passion for supporting other children and families, too.  The more experience I gained working with children with additional support needs, the more I realised this was not just a job to me. It became personal. I wanted to understand more. I wanted to do more. I wanted to make a difference!

That decision led me to completing a college course followed by joining the BACP programme at Edinburgh University.  And honestly? Walking into those buildings for the first time felt like a real-life Legally Blonde moment, excited, overwhelmed, slightly intimidated, and wondering if I truly belonged there.

Coming from beauty therapy into academia felt worlds apart at first. But I decided early on that I was not going to lose myself in the process. If anything, I was bringing a little bit of glam into education with me. Turns out you can care about pedagogy and a good blow dry. You can discuss child development while wearing heels. You can be passionate about inclusion and still love fashion, beauty, and confidence.

Women do not have to shrink parts of themselves to be taken seriously.

The first semester challenged me more than I expected.  There were moments I questioned myself completely. Moments where I wondered why I had put myself so far outside my comfort zone. Balancing study, work, life, and the emotional weight that comes with learning about childhood practice and vulnerability was not easy. Academic writing felt unfamiliar. The expectations felt huge. Some days I felt confident, and other days I felt completely lost.

But growth rarely happens inside comfort zones.  What kept me going was the learning itself. Every lecture and discussion added something to me. Not just academically, but personally. The learning is addictive because once you start understanding children, trauma, inclusion, attachment, and advocacy at a deeper level, you cannot unsee it. You want to keep learning more.

What also surprised me was the support from the down-to-earth lecturers, always there for you with genuine passion shone through in all of them.  The support from lecturers, peers, and the wider university community has genuinely been unmatched. There is something incredibly powerful about being surrounded by people who want you to succeed,  especially during the moments you doubt yourself.

Now, as I look ahead to my third year, I feel completely different from the person who walked into that university in the first year.  I still get overwhelmed sometimes. I still have moments of self-doubt. But now I also have belief. I can see how far I have come.

From beauty therapist to university student!
From parent advocate to practitioner!
From self-doubt to ambition!
From wondering if I belonged to knowing I do!

My Unexpected Journey from Beauty Therapy to BA Childhood Practice at Edinburgh University / BA Childhood Practice_Blog by is licensed under a