Last year I applied to go to university – the first in my family, my mum was ever so proud. Fingers crossed that I get my grades; I’m working really hard to make sure that I do! Because I can’t wait to go to uni – not because I want to leave home (although it does mean no more sharing with my sister) but so I can meet new people, try new things and experience a brand new city.

My friends were a bit worried about how we are going to afford life at university, because you hear all sorts of things about student debt but I’ve being doing a bit of research and found out that I am entitled to apply for a grant to help me with my costs, which has put my mind at ease! I’ll be able to get up to a £2,800 a year maintenance grant. This will really help towards my books and food, leaving me time to concentrate on my studies and having some fun. What is also great is once I graduate, if I decide to buy my first home or start a family, I’ll be able to pause my student-loan contributions for five years.

A couple of the kids who come to the local youth group are taking gap years before they go to university– mainly to do some volunteer work and see a bit more of the world. I would have really enjoyed doing something like that but I’m going to uni now so I’ll just have to travel after that. My sister is going to apply to Labour’s new global volunteering scheme, giving young people from less advantaged backgrounds the opportunity to live, work and learn about life in developing countries. We both think that it’s really important to make a difference in our communities and in the world around us and this will help her do just that.

Thanks to Labour, I’ll get the chance to get a degree and experience a life that my parents didn’t – with Labour no one is left behind.