Written and Photos By: Amy Bridges
My journey getting to Trent has been a long one. I went to a private college straight out of high school for makeup and a car accident changed that plan. A couple of years later I went to Durham College for Journalism and just like makeup, health issues got in the way.
On my way to interview the Toronto Argonauts 
Reporter Equipment 
Interning at Rue Morgue 
Makeup for a beauty photoshoot 
Tattoo make up practise 
A Special FX makeup photoshoot
I went back to what I know – retail. I realized while working retail that I wanted more. I wanted to wake up excited to go to work. So, I decided to take one last stab at it and go to Trent.
I was terrified to start university at 30, the fear almost stopped me. I kept focussing on how old I was going to be when I finished. Eventually I figured the time was going to pass anyway. No matter what I did was going to turn 40 anyway, so I might as well do something with that time.
I took the plunge despite my jitters. I jumped in with both feet and within a month of starting the application process I was going to orientation and jump starting my future. I originally started at Trent in the psychology stream. I loved the atmosphere and the feeling of being in an academic setting again. I couldn’t stop talking about my classes and being at school again. I had found a second home at Trent. As I took more classes I ended up falling in love with the anthropology/archaeology department and eventually changed my major.
Through all the changes and discovering my true passion at Trent, my age was never an issue. There were long stretches where I even forgot I was a mature student. (Except when there were moments that aged me, like when a classmate asked what a floppy disk was.)
I am now in my third year here at Trent and I wouldn’t change my decision for the world. It has not been easy and there has been a learning curve to get around but Trent has changed my life for the better. Between the professors who have been nothing but helpful and inspiring; to the assistance I have received through the accessibility department with my disabilities; and even bursaries and other programs, Trent has done everything they can to make sure I succeed.
I will be graduating in June of 2022 at the age of 34 with a B.A. in Anthropology and I have plans to continue my academic career all because of Trent. My future looks brighter and I no longer have any fear about where and when I will land when I am finished. Coming to Trent as a mature student has been the best decision of my life. I am now waking up excited instead of dreading my day.
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