Siara Nawaz

Psychology BSc (Hons)

Siara always knew that she wanted to study Psychology, and after thriving in the course at BCU, she soon discovered what her speciality would be. After years of hard work and further study, Siara is now excelling in her career as an Educational Psychologist and uses her platform to inspire others too. 

“Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to become a psychologist and go to university.
After exploring the variety of topics covered by the modules on the BSc Psychology course, I just knew that BCU was the university for me.

The course gave me the opportunity to explore a range of areas within psychology and find the area I wanted to pursue a career in, and by my final year at BCU, I knew I wanted to become an Educational Psychologist, as the assessment and intervention module sparked my interest.

Our course lead organised for a Trainee Educational Psychologist to come in and talk about their role and the route they took into it, which led me to do more research of my own.

But even then, I didn’t realise just how much time it would take to become an Educational Psychologist.

I found out that I’d need to find paid work experience working with children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND). So, after graduating from BCU, I became a SEND teaching assistant for a year.

But at this point, I was missing education, so I went back to study a master's in Educational Psychological Studies, which then led me to become an Assistant Educational Psychologist for two years to build my experience. I soon went onto complete my Doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of Bristol.

After graduating from Bristol in 2021, I secured a job as an Educational Psychologist. This is my greatest achievement to date, as graduating as an Educational Psychologist is what I’d wanted since I was an undergraduate student, and it’s what I’d worked towards ever since.

In my role, I provide services to schools and settings which promote the wellbeing and development of children and young people.

Each day is different, as I offer consultations, individual assessments, interventions, coaching, supervision, and training.

I really enjoyed my experience studying at BCU, the lecturers and guest lecturers taught me so much, and the skills I’ve learned from the course are things I continue to use in my practice today.

In the future, I look forward to continuing my practice in Educational Psychology and specialising in an area.

My advice to anyone wanted to pursue this career is to remain resilient throughout your journey and keep trying. Network, work hard, but most of all, have fun!

Also, be patient and remember that no experience is wasted, so try everything. Have a good support network around you too, and make sure that you keep in touch with BCU after graduating, as they offer great opportunities.

My Psychology degree at BCU was the steppingstone in my career, giving me the fundamental knowledge and ignited my passion for my future career.

To me, I AM BCU means having the foundations to continue your journey into your career.”