Nora Bandyopadhyay

“It doesn’t matter how old you are – there’s always time to gain new knowledge and make new friends.” –This is the message that Nora Bandyopadhyay wants to share with anyone considering returning to education as an adult.

Nora, 36, graduated with an HND in Textiles from North East Scotland College. She is proof that returning to education can be life-changing.

Arriving in Scotland from Latvia in 2008, Nora worked in hospitality for several years, but had always craved a more creative career path.

“I knew that I didn’t want to work in hospitality for the rest of my life,” she says. “My whole family is quite artistic. Building and making things is in my blood. Being creative allows me to express myself.”

And so, in 2020, Nora decided to follow her heart and applied to study HND Textiles at NESCol. She enjoyed everything about the course, calling it “a new adventure.” And she even drew inspiration from her creative family roots to aid in one of the projects she undertook whilst studying. She explains:

“I was away from my family during the pandemic and I missed them a lot. I decided to express myself by remembering each of my family members through design – I took inspiration from their favourite items and things I remembered about them and designed a print for each member of my family.

“This was a very personal project as it allowed me to feel close to my family when they were so far away. My family is very creative and everyone has an artistic path like: sculptor, painter, joinery,  florist, designer and we can’t thank our parents enough for giving us those skills and supporting us to achieve our goals.”

Nora’s creative journey is continuing now at RGU’s Gray’s School of Art, where she was able to enter into year 2 of a degree in 3D Design. She is excited to see what the future has in store for her and her artistic pursuits, and one thing is certain: she would encourage anyone to consider returning to education to pursue their passion.

“Never stop learning,” she says. “Life is what you make of it. When you grow older, your priorities change. I decided to follow my heart and I am so much happier learning and being creative.

“I enjoyed my time at the NESCol. I liked that teachers gave us creative freedom and at the same time provided full support throughout the course. For those who are planning pursue this course I can assure the college provides with strong foundation and knowledge for the next steps, either it’s continuing to study in University or starting your own business.”