Single mum who thought midwifery career dream ‘out of reach’ qualifies for university course

A mother of four says her college has taken her on a “life-changing journey” after winning a place at university to embark on her dream career.

Erica Ramos wanted to be a midwife since she was a teenager after seeing the support her mother received from healthcare professionals during her pregnancy, but worried it was a “distant dream”.

The 33-year-old applied to The College Merthyr Tydfil, to study Level 3 Access to Higher Education, aiming to go into adult nursing. But, after securing 33 distinctions and 12 merits in her course, Erica has now had confirmed offers from both Cardiff University and the University of South Wales to study midwifery.

Erica said she is grateful to her tutors and all college staff for their support throughout the course and for encouraging her to pursue her dream.

“Incredible support”

Erica said: “As a single mother of four, becoming a midwife always felt like a distant dream—something I wished for, but never truly believed could happen.“I thought midwifery was too competitive and out of reach but everything changed thanks to the incredible support I received at The College Merthyr Tydfil.

“My tutor, Kelly Murphy, and teachers like Lisa George believed in me when I didn’t fully believe in myself. Their encouragement and unwavering support gave me the courage to aim higher and take the risk of applying for midwifery.”

Erica was born in Angola and moved to Portugal when she was five. At 15, she came to Merthyr Tydfil with her mother and attended Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic High School but finished her education before she had the qualifications she needed.

In the time between, she had twin girls Yakira and Yamaia, 10, Yoshua, 7, and Jason, 3. She said the college’s on-site creche helped her juggle her studies around parenting and her children enjoyed attending the nursery while their mum went to classes.

Excitement

“I’m overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude,” Erica said.

“I’ve been offered two places to study midwifery, one at the University of South Wales and one at Cardiff University. I still can’t quite believe it.

“This journey has shown me the power of believing in yourself, and how life-changing the right support system can be. I’m so excited for what’s ahead and proud of how far I’ve come.”

Lisa Thomas, Principal at The College Merthyr Tydfil, said: “Level 3 results day is always a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the achievements of all our learners.

“Erica’s story demonstrates that anyone can realise their ambitions with the right support around them. We’re proud of the hard work our teams put in every day to help all learners achieve their very best.

“At The College Merthyr Tydfil, we are proud to see our learners excelling across both academic and vocational pathways and Erica’s achievements reflect our commitment to preparing learners to progress into a range of different career pathways”