AN OAKWOOD girl is proof that not being afraid to change academic direction can pay off when it comes to learning.

Sarah Price is on course to become the first person in her family to go to university.

She decided to go to Derby College after she left school at 16 but did not do very well in her first year.

Sarah, 18, said: "I had to retake my first college year as I was having family problems at home and I couldn't concentrate on my studies.

"When I left school my parents split up. This also meant money was tight so I signed up for an education maintenance allowance and have been doing a part-time job to bring in more money."

Having started by studying maths, psychology and biology, Sarah decide to have a re-think.

She said: "I didn't really enjoy the first year of college, but when I had to retake the year I used it as an opportunity to pick some better subjects, ones that I felt would be more interesting.

"I am now studying law, sociology, business and accounting.

"I really enjoy law and sociology lessons as it allows me to be creative and we sometimes have group debates, unlike when I was studying maths and biology where we had to sit and copy notes from a text book.

"My family are really proud of me for staying in college and they are all very excited about me being the first person in our family to go to university.

"My father is going to be taking me to university open days so I can choose where I will study. I hope to study criminology or something related to law.

"Retraining is important. I made a mistake in the first year but learned the hard way, and I now realise that studying and getting qualifications are essential to getting where you want to be in life."