26 January 2023
Publishing dream
A previous student of USP College, Palmer’s Campus, has finished writing her very own novel after participating in the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).
A previous student of USP College, Palmer’s Campus, has finished writing her very own novel after participating in the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).
Nicole Dragos, who was a student at Palmer’s Campus in 2019, has taken her hobby of writing her own short stories and has decided to turn them into an 8-chapter long novel consisting of different storylines, characters and themes. Here is what Nicole had to say about her journey at USP College and her next steps.
I became a student at USP College, Palmers Campus in September 2019, and I was studying Level 3 UAL Extended Diploma in Art and Design. I decided to change this course in April 2020 to Sociology, English and History A-levels. This was probably one of the best decisions I have made for my future and I couldn’t have done it without the help of my course teachers, as well as the staff who helped me transfer courses.
I am currently studying English at Royal Holloway University, which has honestly been a dream come true. I do not think I would have ever made it without the support I received from the staff at USP College.
During my last year at USP College, I was appointed the position of Student Governor, and the previous year I became Student Champion for Charity and Social. The Charity and Social role helped me keep my creative side alive, by hosting charity events and raising money for charities. I honestly loved every minute of this role, especially as I constantly got to work with Suzanne Perry in Student Services. My Student Governor position really took me out of my comfort zone, as I was faced with the role of being the voice of students. I was given the unforgettable opportunity of working with Senior Members of Staff, in discussing future plans for the College.
Now about my novel, I could talk about it for hours. The novel initially started as a hobby but then I heard about the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) that USP College offered, so I decided to actually write my novel, and make a project out of it, whilst also getting a qualification for it. My novel is called “The Life We Live With Our Eyes Closed,” and the concept of the novel began when I started writing down my dreams on my phone. One day, I decided to write a story out of one of them and I was really happy with how it turned out. I then wrote another one and applied with them for my EPQ. I have written 8 chapters, all with different storylines, characters, and themes, and the complete novel includes a few poems I have written, Spotify playlists for each chapter and the original dreams which inspired each chapter.
Unfortunately, the novel is not published anywhere yet. Although I am trying to get it published on Amazon, then try to approach bigger publishing houses.
In the future, I hope to go into publishing, and this project has truly helped me learn about how much detail goes on behind the scenes after it’s finished.