Interview: Award-winning Westminster student Lindy Coxon shares transformative journey attending university later in life

You recently won the Top Prize in the Foreigners’ Category at the 29th Korean Speech Contest. What did you talk about in your speech?

I originally chose the category about the Korean language and intended to talk about its history, but my teacher encouraged me to speak about my personal journey instead. It was through learning Korean that I changed the way I thought about my life. I spoke about how my life had revolved around looking after my children, husband and my mother alongside working two jobs. I had no confidence in myself and had also lost who I was along the way, but this all changed when I started learning Korean. I suddenly realised, “yeah, this is amazing! I'm really enjoying learning again, and I am doing it for me. It is hard work but actually I can do it!”. I cannot tell you how long it took me just to learn the alphabet, but I loved it, and it was like a light bulb going off saying, “what have I been doing for the past 30 years?”. From then on, I taught myself as much as possible before starting lessons at SOAS. Through these classes I met a great group of fascinating and interesting people who all shared a common interest in Korean culture and language and made me feel part of a group. So that is what I spoke about!

How did you feel about giving the speech and how did you prepare for it?

When I first heard about the speech, I did not take it very seriously because I thought there was no way I could do it, but why not apply anyway.  Then when I found out I was going, I was really scared, but then thought, what an opportunity! When would I ever get the chance to do something like this again. Reality did not hit until I got to Vietnam, met the other contestants and realised I was actually going to have to stand on a stage and speak in front of some really good Korean speakers. I had done a run through with my teacher at her church which had semi-prepared me because I went wrong a couple of times and slightly panicked, but then realised, I just had to work a bit harder. When you learn something off by heart, you do it in order, so if you forget a word the following sentences seem to disappear. My speech was four minutes long, and if you miss out a paragraph, you can't re-find it, so that worried me, especially as the speech was printed in the competition booklet so there was nowhere to hide!

To practise I just read it through many, many times to get the intonation right, and I literally learnt a line a day. It was quite slow. Each day I would learn the lines and keep repeating them – as I walked to work, I would say it in my head or while I was sitting on the train. I don't know what people thought! It was painstaking but quite hypnotic.

What does this achievement mean to you?

Well, funnily enough, the win was a bit of a surprise as I did not realise what I had won! The prizegiving and communications were in Korean, so I did not fully understand everything being said. As I went up to get the prize, the applause from the audience and cheers from my fellow contestants gave me an amazing feeling of warmth on my back and that was the win for me. It was only when I got back to my seat that I sent a picture of the certificate to my teacher and she said, “Lindy, you've won!”. I was obviously extremely proud, but it was the warmth and kindness from the other competitors which blew me away.

Watch Lindy's speech starting at 43:03

What encouraged you to go to university and study Chinese?

I never went to university after leaving school, but I always wondered what would have happened if I had gone. When I started to learn Korean, I realised that even though it took a long time, I could do it and I was not the worst in the class. Then my children left home after doing their degrees, my husband retired, and I thought it was my turn to do something. I just thought, “why not?”. I could do Korean, so why not try learning another language at university? 

Why did you choose the University of Westminster? 

I live near London, so I started looking for a London university, and when I went to the Open Day I just fell in love with Westminster. I had been to boarding school when I was younger, so when I walked through those old wooden doors at Regent Street it reminded me of my school. I just felt at home and instantly knew this was the place. It was amazing. I also spoke to Paul Kendall, who now happens to be my lecturer, and the way he had time for me and spoke to me, it just felt right.

What difference do you think going to Westminster has made in your life?

A huge amount. I don't feel boring, and I am not bored. I feel interesting and really positive - life is good. It has made a massive difference. As a mother and a daughter, you do sometimes feel invisible. I supported my husband with his career, then I was busy with the children doing their sports and their education and getting them places. It is really hard to juggle children, work and a home life with trying to please everyone, so I put myself on the back burner. You are just mum. Now that has changed; I'm someone in my own right.

What advice would you give to anyone who dreams of going to university but is dealing with self-doubt?

I would say absolutely go but be careful what you choose to study, because although this has been hard, I love it, and it is the love and passion I have for the subject that keeps me going.  If you do not love your subject, I would say think again. Also, it is okay to just be good enough. By that I mean do not stress about getting top marks, just be good enough to get the grades you need. Just love it, enjoy what you are learning and the rest will come. Oh, and do not skip lectures!

What is next for you? 

Getting through this term, then I’m off to Beijing next year. Westminster offered a study exchange abroad, so I plan to do my second semester at Beijing Foreign Studies University. It will be a bit scary, but I did the speech contest, so now I can do anything! 

Learn about studying Languages at the University of Westminster.