Higher education, the transformational gift that never stops giving

When Jayda Franks collected her Master’s degree in Digital Marketing from the University of Northampton last month, it marked the end of a journey that began with uncertainty and doubt but finishes with a movie-like happy ending.

Jayda grew up on council estate in Crawley and had a difficult relationship with her family, meaning her home environment made it difficult to focus on studying and achieve good A-Levels.

“I didn’t even think I would do a Master’s when I first started in foundation,” Jayda says. “I wasn’t sure if university was for me at all. I’d taken a gap year after sixth form because my A-levels didn’t go so well, and I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to take.”

Her decision to apply to Northampton came almost by chance. “Me and my friend applied through clearing,” she recalls. “We visited the campus just before COVID, and it was really the facilities that sold me. But honestly, I wasn’t thinking about the future. I just knew that going to university meant I could move away from a toxic home environment.”

Jayda began with a foundation year before progressing to a three-year Bachelor’s degree in Creative Film, Television and Digital Media Production, graduating with a 2:1 in 2024. “I loved the creative side—editing, cameras, content creation,” she says. “But during my third year, I had an advertising module, and I really liked it. That’s when I started thinking about marketing.”

Encouraged by her tutor Dr Anthony Stepniak, Jayda applied for a new Master’s programme in Digital Marketing. “I was the first cohort and it was a big change from media to marketing, from one faculty to another.

“At first, I felt completely out of my depth. People in my class had done marketing undergrads, and I didn’t know anything. But I told myself, ‘I don’t know everything, but I’m willing to learn.

“It helped having such a supportive person like Anthony behind me, and he put me in the hands of the equally supportive Dr Kardi Somerfield, my success is really a testament to their guidance and friendship.”

Her time at Northampton wasn’t just about study. For four years, Jayda worked as a Student Ambassador, supporting outreach programmes and giving campus tours. “I’ve had students ask me, ‘Is university possible for someone like me?’ and I’ve said, ‘Of course it is. I didn’t think it was possible, and here I am.’ If I can plant that seed of thought, that’s fulfilling for me.”

Graduation for her Master’s was a poetic moment for Jayda as she shared the stage with her youngest sister Lucy Franks who collected her BA in Law after she came to Northampton with Jayda’s support.

And in a surprise moment, Jayda was also given the Dean’s Award for Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion thanks to her work as a Student Ambassador.

“I thought I was just getting my Master’s,” she laughs. “Then they called me back to the front and gave me the award. It was a proud moment.”

In a competitive graduate environment, Jayda spent nine months applying for jobs, but completing the circle of transformation, her perseverance paid off when she secured a role as Marketing Specialist at Synology, a tech company in Milton Keynes.

She recalls: “I did the interview in the stockroom of the café I was working in. Then a second round with a presentation. When they offered me the job, it was like the stars aligning—my housing contract ended, my notice period ended, and my dream job started and I could afford a nice place in Milton Keynes, all in two weeks.”

Looking back, Jayda says the experience changed her life. “University allowed me to grow into the person I am now. It gave me opportunities, friendships, and confidence.

“And to graduate alongside my sister—it was incredible. From where we started, to stand there together, it felt like a full-circle moment.”

Her advice to others is simple: “Despite how difficult things get, even when you feel like giving up, you can do it. You have the potential.”

Dr Stepniak said: “It was a proud moment for us all to witness the journey Jayda has taken, from such uncertainty and doubt to the movie worthy moment of scoring her dream job in the big city.

“She might credit those around her for lifting her up, but we can only give people the opportunity, to achieve what Jayda has required hard work and determination. All of which she did while rolling down the rope ladder to her sister and countless young minds in Northamptonshire who will now think University is the place them.

“She is the ideal demonstration of the importance and impact of higher education.”

To find out about starting a journey of transformation through higher education, browse our course pages or sign up for the next Open Day on Saturday 10 January.