Ummaih looks forward to getting back to uni life

A Blackburn student is looking forward to enjoying the university lifestyle again once it is safe to do so.

Ummaih Shah, 20, from Blackburn, has begun the second year of her Physical Education degree at Leeds Beckett University.

She said:

Before the pandemic, life was fun. I got to socialise at university, I was able to go to new places and I was living independently.

I didn’t want to come home. I feel like I’ve lost some of my independence having to come home and be with my parents and feel babied.

Ummaih, who is currently competing in the Miss Lancashire competition, is taking part in Blackburn with Darwen Council’s ‘Picture This’ campaign.

The campaign features local people talking about the things they miss doing due to Coronavirus, reminding us that if we all do our bit to control the spread of the virus we can get back to doing the things we love quicker.

Ummaih, who works part time at Blackburn Youth Zone, said the job helped because she was seeing lots of different faces but admits mental health has suffered as a result of the pandemic.

My mental health got really bad. I ended up feeling depressed because I was at home all day. I started my second year at Uni, but I was finding it so hard to concentrate. I just felt mentally tired and drained.

Face-to-face lectures are so much better. I don’t want to work at home. That’s my comfort space.

I feel quite sorry for the first years’ because I’ve had a taste of uni life is supposed to be like.

The impact of the virus hit home at the start of this year when Ummaih’s uncle passed away suddenly from COVID-19.

She added:

We have lost a loved one to COVID. Until the virus affects you and your family, you won’t realise how dangerous and how scary it really is.

Looking ahead to the future, Ummaih added:

I’m looking forward to getting back into the uni life again… and actually putting my head down and studying. I’m also looking forward to meeting my friends again We have planned so much after this lockdown.

My message to other students is you are not alone. We’re all going through this, and we will get through it together.

Councillor Julie Gunn, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education at Blackburn with Darwen Council, added: “We know that COVID has had a significant impact on the younger generation.

I would like to thank them personally for all the sacrificed they have been making and continue to make to try to keep themselves, their families and the wider community as safe as possible.

Restrictions will gradually ease, but until they are vaccinated later in the vaccine roll-out they have a significant role to play in helping control the transmission of the virus.

Watch Ummaih speaking about her experience during the pandemic:

Find out more about the Picture This campaign here.