University of Suffolk in Ipswich graduate Pauline Lifton, 51, collects her degree 35 years after finishing school

A 51-year-old woman put out a message that you're never too old to learn as she graduated this week.

Pauline Lifton, from Little Bentley, Essex, was awarded a post-graduate diploma in human resource management from the University of Suffolk in Ipswich on Wednesday.

Pauline, who originally left school at 16 without the chance to attend university or college, started her dream job as a HR consultant in January.

The first year of her degree was remote due to the coronavirus pandemic.

She noted the high point for her time at university was when her dissertation results came through while sitting on a plane, and the rush she felt when she realised she'd earned a distinction.

Her dissertation was written on menopause in the workplace, which she said was the topic of a lot of discussion at the time.

She also won three awards on top of getting her degree.

These were The Developing Our People Award, the Ron Shepherd Award for the student gaining the most development, and the Making A Difference HR Award for the most impactful project.

The University of Suffolk's graduation week was between Saturday and Thursday.

It saw over 3,100 students handed their qualifications.

Regarding her graduation, Pauline added: “What a day. I'm just still in shock at the awards.

"You're never too old to learn, and while I enjoyed all my modules, the highlight for me was my dissertation, which I chose because it was a heavy point of discussion at the time.

“On top of my new job, I hope to be able to mentor students in the future, especially mature students, and share my journey and support them through what can be a challenging but rewarding time.”