Where Are They Now: Emma Hughes – From Access to HE Course to Aspiring Nurse Leader
The last time the Agored Cymru team spoke to learner Emma Hughes was in 2023, after she won the Agored Cymru Learner of the Year Award for Outstanding Commitment to Study. Now in 2025, we caught up with Emma to hear all about her experience undertaking her degree at the University for South Wales, and how her experience of being a mother to two children - one of whom has severe learning disabilities - has helped her in her journey to become a Learning Disability Nurse.
When speaking to Emma, she credited her Access to HE course - provided by Agored Cymru via Coleg y Cymoedd - for giving her a crucial head start in her degree.
“[The course staff] didn’t just warn us there’d be a step up – they prepared us for it”, Emma said. The academic rigour of the course meant she arrived at university ready to hit the ground running, particularly in modules like anatomy and physiology. Emma recalled, “I’d sit in lectures thinking, “I know this, I’ve done this already.” That confidence made all the difference.”
In fact, the difference in preparation was so noticeable that even lecturers could identify the Access to HE course students by their academic maturity and work ethic. “We were just more ready,” she says. “We knew how to manage our deadlines and write with purpose.”
Studying with Purpose
Throughout her degree in Learning Disability Nursing, Emma immersed herself in modules that challenged and inspired her. She found unexpected passion subjects like health promotion and the role of the nurse as both an educator and a leader.
“Nurses teach all the time: patients, families, other students. I hadn’t realised how much teaching is part of the job,” she says. This sparked an interest in educational theory and leadership, and gave Emma some new ideas and passions for any future ambitions as her career within nursing grew.
She told us that one standout module for her was Health Promotion. Having a natural inclination toward preventative care and holistic health allowed her to use assignments as opportunities to advocate for lifestyle-based interventions and early support. “I lean more towards the social aspect of care, so if I can bring prevention into anything I do, I will,” she said.
Personal Growth and Professional Vision
Emma’s path into nursing was shaped by personal experience: both as a cancer survivor, and a mother and primary carer of a child with severe learning disabilities. Here’s what Emma said back in 2023 on her decision to pursue Learning Disability Nursing:
“While I was going through all my medical procedures, I imagined how difficult it would be for people with disabilities, like my son, who is nonverbal, to go through something like that. The reality is that people with such issues tend to have less favourable outcomes when it comes to illnesses due to the communication barriers they face. […] Knowing first-hand how difficult it would be for my child made me determined to become a Learning Disability Nurse myself, so that I could help.”
In 2025, this deeply personal connection to her work fuels her desire to rebuild trust between families and professionals. “I used to worry all the time about his future,” she admits. “But some of the learning disabilities nurses I’ve worked with over the past three years have more than surpassed my expectations of what I would want as a nurse for my son.”
“One day I’m not going to be here but he’s still going to need to be cared for, but from meeting some of the inspiring nurses I’ve worked with, I don’t need to worry about that anymore. […] What they do, how they care - it’s given me hope. I want to be that nurse for someone else.”
Her lived experience has not only given her insight; it’s given her purpose. Emma wants to work alongside families who may feel overlooked or disillusioned by past experiences, building bridges through compassion and competence.
Juggling Responsibilities: The Reality of Being a Mature Student
Unlike many younger students, Emma’s university life didn’t revolve around social events. Instead, she balanced academic study with parenting, running a household, and maintaining her wellbeing. “Something had to give, and for me, it was my social life,” she says. But staying organised helped her manage the demands and balance her home life with her academic one.
Her advice to new students? “Know what you’re doing and when you’re doing it. Keep a calendar. Even if you can only plan three days ahead, do that.”
Emma also shared one surprising way that she helps to switch her brain off to stay motivated during her studies: investing in a stationary bike. “I cancelled my gym membership and bought a bike. It’s low-impact, it’s in the house, and I can jump on whenever I have a moment. It’s been a lifesaver.”
Looking Ahead: Aspiration Meets Action
With her graduation on the horizon, Emma is already eyeing her next move - a master’s degree in leadership and management in healthcare.
But she isn’t stopping there.
Her long-term ambition is to shape policy and drive systemic change. “If I want to make things better, I need to be in the room where decisions are made,” she says. “One day, maybe I’ll be around that table, bringing lived experience into policy.”
Her ultimate goal is to implement change not just for her patients, but for the wider healthcare system. “Nursing was the first step. Leadership is next. Policy could be beyond that. I’d like to be where I can make a difference.”
A Ripple Effect
Emma’s journey hasn’t just transformed her own life, it’s inspired her family. Her 16-year-old son, motivated by her commitment, has excelled in his GSCEs and now pursuing A-levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics, and Computer Science, with hopes of attending a top university. “He saw what I was doing and said, “If you can do it, so can I.” That means the world to me.”
Additionally, all the learners from Emma’s Access to HE course at Coleg y Cymoedd have also gone on to complete their nursing degrees. “We’re all still here,” she says proudly. “That says a lot about the strength and preparation the Access course gave us.”
Emma’s most recent achievement has been winning Student of the Year: Learning Disability Nursing with the Student Times. Having being chosen as the winner amongst 5 other finalists and selected from a pool of approximately 20+ other candidates, Emma’s story is a beacon for anyone considering returning to education.
It shows that with the right support, the right mindset, and a deep sense of purpose, adult learners can achieve extraordinary things. Not just for themselves, but also for the communities that they serve.