Valentina Gonzalez-Castaneda is studying Art & Design Extended Diploma Level 3 (year 2).

“I visited Carshalton College during the enrolment period to see what my study options were.  I had recently moved from Colombia and we lived close to the College.  I knew I wanted to eventually study Architecture so needed to find a pathway to get to university.

I enrolled on a Level 2 Digital Media course studying functional skills alongside this to improve my English and maths.  I went on to the Art & Design Level 3 and after the first year on this course, I achieved top marks in GCSE English and Maths.  I even managed to achieve a distinction in spoken English, the only one to do so from my class.  I am now on Year 2 of the Extended Diploma course and have just chosen my university options.

My journey has been a hard one.  I was initially very nervous about my abilities however extremely pleased to have eventually succeeded.  The difficulties I faced at the start such as differences in language, culture, environment etc. made me push myself. 

I received a lot of support and encouragement from my tutors but had to study very hard.  The staff were amazing, especially with my English language challenges and university applications.

What I love the most about my course is that I can experiment with different techniques and there is a lot of access to technology that I would never have received studying in my home country.  I have made some great friends and life is very sociable. 

I really believe that education shapes your life but you have to be dedicated and committed to achieving a good grade. I have been accepted at the University of Westminster for the next chapter in my life”.