“I am an enabling success story”: An autoethnographic narrative of an unskilled mother’s foray into academia

Abstract

This paper follows the story of a young woman transitioning from secondary school through a series of unskilled jobs and the impact this had on her self-belief. Through an unexpected enrolment in an enabling course, the opportunity for growth in both skills and confidence impacted on her self-awareness and developed her self-efficacy through the discovery that she could successfully accomplish higher education study. Her achievements in higher education led to a position whereby she realised that she had accomplished something far greater than ever anticipated: she was an academic. As an enabling educator who had walked the same path, she found herself in a strong position to help others on their journeys to success. This story is mine. I am an enabling success story. This paper argues that enabling courses change people’s lives, giving them hope for a better future. Enabling education takes students on a journey of self-discovery and self-awareness, building self-esteem and opening doors to vast opportunities. It further considers how a lecturer who herself comes from a low-socioeconomic background could go onto become a positive role model for enabling students from similar backgrounds.