Faye Mills

Faye is a 2023 graduate of LJMU, having studied law. She had, at times, a challenging experience at university, discovering she had dyslexia and a degenerative condition that impacted on her memory and conversation. But she showed resilience, courage and determination, with support from her family and LJMU, to finish her studies with flying colours. She also got involved as a Student Advocate with our Outreach Team, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps and to study with our School of Law.

Faye features in our ‘Graduates of LJMU’ miniseries, part of the ‘Humans of LJMU’ series in collaboration with the ‘Humans of Liverpool’ social media account, sharing the stories of the people who make our city, communities and university the vibrant, inclusive place it is in celebration of our bicentenary year.

In her interview she reflects on her time at LJMU, the support from her family and how she feels about achieving her degree.

Faye’s ‘Humans of LJMU’ interview

“When I told my mum my grade the other day, she burst out crying. I managed to get a first, and she was overwhelmed with pride. My family have been amazing throughout my degree, I owe them a lot. I was diagnosed with dyslexia in my second year, and my mum would sit with me and read things out or just listen to me and point out things that I wouldn’t spot.

“My mum has been through a lot. She’s a very strong woman, and the way she’s bounced back from so many things has driven me on. She didn’t have the opportunities I’ve had growing up. Her mum and dad were very sick, so she was a full-time unpaid carer when she was younger. That’s made me not want to waste any of the opportunities I’ve had and to work hard to make her proud. She’s always been the one to say it doesn’t matter if you don’t get it; it’s not the end of the world. But wanting to make her proud has always pushed me on that little bit further.

“During uni, I was diagnosed with a degenerative disease that causes issues with memory and conversation, giving me brain fog. My medical diagnosis shook me more than I thought because I went from viewing myself as invincible (as you typically do as a young person) to discovering my own mortality and realising it’s not going to be as easy as it is for everyone else. That, coupled with my dyslexia diagnosis, made me actually even prouder of my achievement, as I’ve managed to get to where I am in spite of those things.

“If I could go back and speak to myself at the start of university, I would say don’t be so hard on yourself, believe in yourself and enjoy it a bit more. I’d waste so much time worrying about the result, but I’d always get a good mark because I’d worked hard. You have to enjoy yourself.”