Dan Mollon

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

I left high school in June 2025. When my parents separated, my mam and I moved up to Wallsend and started again. When I began high school, I took up martial arts, doing slow-motion kung fu, tai chi and the traditional Seven Star Mantis form. Now I’m on a Learning Development course at Newcastle College. 

How did you hear about Newcastle College? Did you attend an Open Day prior to starting at the College? If so, did you find it useful?

I found out about Newcastle College through my mam, since she works here in the Commercial Services Team. When I left high school, I thought I’d come here to study, and I’ve absolutely loved it! The staff are lovely, the students are absolutely brilliant and I’m really enjoying my time here so far. I remember when I attended an Open Event here before I started, I was really surprised by how many people had come along – it was a lot of new faces! Even the size of Newcastle College surprised me, since according to my mam, it’s up there among the biggest in the country! To me, that’s a good thing though, because it always being so busy and popular speaks to how good it is as a place to learn and hang out with friends! 

What made you decide to come to the College and enrol on your chosen course?

My mam, really. Ever since I was little, I wanted to be just like her, and successful as a cook. Even though I have a chromosome deletion and a few other disabilities, I don’t really care – I just want to succeed in life! Other people can try to drag me down, but that just makes me more determined to succeed in every possible way I can! My Life Skills classes gives me experience with things like cooking, cleaning and ironing which are useful for my everyday life. I’m also taking English and maths classes, and my teachers say that I’m top of my class! If one of my friends is struggling, I like to take the time to help them out, since my mam always taught me that it’s good to give someone a helping hand, whoever they are, whenever they need it.  

How would you describe the advice and support you've received from the College staff and your tutors? Have you had any support from our Central Support Service?

Honestly, outstanding! The support staff we have in Life Skills are all really good. I have some one-to-one support with a tutor to help me express my emotions more easily, since sometimes I struggle with that, and I feel much more comfortable opening up. The staff in other teams are also really helpful – for example, I once went into the Library, saw a cookbook with some recipes I wanted to try out at home, and the team there were really helpful in showing me what to do to borrow the book. They were really open-minded about it!  

Do you have any tutors with industry experience? If so, how has this helped you?

I specialise in Hospitality, and one of my tutors has a background as a chef. Thanks to that, when we go into the proper kitchens in the Lifestyle Academy, he can show us some useful skills for cookery, like how to hold a knife properly or good chopping technique. Whenever I have a question, he also takes the time to answer it in detail, and it’s the same for every other student in my class.  

Did you look into financial support available from the College? If so, what support do you receive and how has it helped you?

Yes – I once went to Student Services to pick up a POP Card, because I get a travel bursary. Now I use the card to get on the Metro to and from the College, or a bus if the Metros are ever cancelled. It definitely makes getting onto campus a lot easier and more helpful! 

Have you overcome any challenges while on your course? If so how has the college helped you?  

That’s a really good question! One challenge I can remember having was developing the confidence to cross the roads on St James’ Boulevard and on George Street by myself when I’m coming into campus, as I’d usually be with my mam or someone else when I’m doing that. I still ask for help sometimes, since I don’t always have a sense of danger with roads, but I’m definitely getting better at that! 

Another challenge was when I first started working at The Dancing Bean (a coffee shop on campus) as part of my course. I didn’t know how to use the till properly, so the tutor took the time to show me how to use it properly. Now, I’ve pretty much got the hang of it! I always get a sense of achievement from proving I can do something myself, because at the end of the day, what’s the point of having low self-esteem and doubting yourself when I know I can achieve so much more?  

What do you enjoy the most about your course?

I’d have to say meeting new people and socialising with them. I never know what each day is going to look like or what new experiences it’ll bring, but I like surprises! For example, the other day, I was having my lunch and a couple of girls I didn’t know came up and asked if I wanted to sit with them, just out of the blue – I was a little shy at first, but once they introduced themselves to me, we started chatting and now I get on really well with them both! 

How do you feel that the course is benefitting you?

To be honest, even though I’m on Entry Level 3 for English and maths, I feel like both courses are helping me to prepare for my GCSES because they’re giving me harder work to do, which is pushing me a bit more to do my best. I love that I can get more of a challenge from my tutors if I just ask, because it means the staff here a really supportive of me testing my limits and trying to be my best! 

Have you done any work experience or a work placement as part of your course?

Yes, by working at The Dancing Bean in The Performance Academy, which is a student-run coffee shop on campus. Honestly, the experience is really good! I come in between 7am-8am in the mornings I’m on duty to help with set-up, or to hop on the till, or I can take orders and ask someone else in the team to make a hot drink or get a snack, it’s really good experience! I love working as a team, so if I’m getting orders in, I’ll ask whether we have ‘X’ item or ‘Y’ drink ready to serve and another member of the team will help to get that sorted out. It’s important we have constant communication and that we’re good team players – it’s really leaning into the mantra my mam taught me, and which I now share with my classmates when we’re on duty: ‘Never give up, never surrender!’ 

What would you like to do when you finish your course? Would you consider studying a degree at Newcastle College University Centre?

I’d like to keep working hard to be my best, so that in the end I can be like my mam. I’d still like to work in the hospitality industry, maybe in Newcastle College too! It’d be good experience, and I’d always be meeting new people and seeing new faces to chat to. 

What are your ambitions for the future?

I’d really love to just keep meeting new people and trying to help them as much as I can. Think about it from my point of view: if someone was stuck on a piece of work, or if they were a bit lost, I think it’s great that I can help them out and take them under my wing. My mam raised me to always help out people who are asking for help, and to me that translates really well to the hospitality industry, since you’re always trying to help someone to get good food or have a nice time! Thanks to my mam, I feel like that industry is in my blood, so I really want to take that all the way. 

What would you say to anyone thinking of studying a course with Newcastle College?

If you’re thinking about studying at Newcastle College, whatever you’re doing, just remember: Never give up, never surrender. Chase your dream goals, keep trying your hardest and one day, you’ll achieve those goals and get everything you want out of life. 

What are your top tips for being a student at Newcastle College?

Believe in yourself – if you have a goal, keep it in your mind, remind yourself that you can always achieve it, and go for it! 

Always work hard – you’ve always got to try your best in everything you do, or else you’ll get nowhere! 

It’s fine to work at your own page – if you need to take time for yourself to learn something or try out a new skill, then do it! So long as you keep trying and keep going back to those skills, in the end you’ll eventually get it.