Debbie Balfour, 48, from Stowupland, completed a degree in Integrative Counselling at University Studies at West Suffolk College, graduating with first-class honours. She also received an award for the best dissertation across all students at University Studies during the 2024/25 academic year.
Debbie said: “At school I was encouraged down an academic route, with little focus on vocational or creative careers. Later in life, I discovered how much I valued those paths. After A levels, I joined Lloyds Bank on a graduate scheme but eventually retrained as a hairdresser. I went on to run my own salon for 17 years, employing staff and training school leavers. That gave me a strong sense of community and communication, and I could see the overlap with counselling. People tell hairdressers things they don’t tell anyone else. During Covid, when the salon was closed, clients continued to contact me — not for a haircut, but because they wanted to talk.
