Chris Middleton, student with Oxbridge and winner of ABCC Certificate of Merit, came to speak to the ABCC’s AGM this year (2019).
Chris described the eventful course of his life and what led him to discovering and profiting by distance learning.
In his own words – “I enjoyed completing my study and was proud to have finished it, the highlight was receiving my certificate of merit from yourselves, as this was totally unexpected, and was a proud moment and sense of achievement.
“The topics covered during my speech, was about my Mum’s mental health and the impact that had on her and then me, given I ended up in Foster Care for 14 years as a result of my mum not be able to cope with the pressures of life.
“I ended up going to boarding school where I was expelled and left without any qualifications, ended going down the wrong path.
“I then in my early 30’s studied for a Level 5 BTEC Diploma in Leadership & management along with a level 5 NVQ in leadership and management.
“I then went through lots of personal loss and trauma, and found the only thing that kept me focused during the adversity was my distance study.
“This also includes my latest life coaching pass, as I was having mental health issues following an event setting off my PTSD and thought of giving up the course midway through.
“I now work as Head of Core Operations for one of the world’s largest reinsurance brokers: Marsh & McLennan Companies. I’m responsible for 150 staff members, handle a budget of 15 million a year, and in my spare time, I’m a motivational speaker in schools, events and corporate environments.
The following is a snippet from Chris’s story as told on the Oxbridge website –
“Before Christmas, I was invited to give a talk at the secondary school Haberdashers Askes on their ‘Rewards Day.’ My talk focused on how I myself have overcome many setbacks, but also how I learnt to nurture my mental health during hard times, because I think children should feel like it’s OK to talk about their struggles.
“After my talk, one pupil rushed up to me to say how I had described similar experiences he has gone through. Before he could finish his story, he burst into tears. He said he was struggling with his homework because of his ADHD and Autism diagnosis, so I gave him some advice and spoke to his teacher about giving me the opportunity to return and mentor this student.
“I was granted permission and he is already doing so much better at school and in how he feels about himself. That boy is the reason I do what I do.”
After his presentation the meeting was very happy to endorse Chairman Max Faulkner’s decision to offer Honorary Membership of ABCC to Chris Middleton, the first time this has ever been done for one of our students. We feel that as well as a shining example of what can be achieved by determination in study, Chris will make an outstanding ambassador for ABCC and Distance Learning generally, and we hope to see him frequently at meetings and events