After growing up in and out of care with a ‘dysfunctional’ family, one Nottingham graduate who decided to stay in the city has spoken out about how she's achieved her dreams. Now, she hopes to inspire others who have also gone through the care system.
Joy Kisinja, 23, works as a counsellor and influencer. Originally from Bedfordshire where she finds it difficult to travel back there because of the memories her hometown holds, in a short amount of time, Joy has achieved a lot - and at the age of 20 became an approved foster carer herself.
From graduating Nottingham Trent University in 2021, to being invited to a red carpet event this year, Joy has also done voiceover work for an NHS service. The graduate emphasised staying motivated is something that keeps her going. She said: “I grew up in a dysfunctional home and was sent into care.
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“I was sent into care twice. Before I went back into care the second time, it was proven everything would be different, it wasn’t.”
In both primary and secondary school Joy had spent periods of time in care. She continued and said: “I went through a lot of trauma, I had unstable friendships, unstable relationships but I just wanted to get my head down and tried to focus on school because I knew how bad things could turn out if I didn’t, I wanted better for myself.”
At the age of 17, Joy left Bedfordshire and came to Nottingham. She said: “ I quickly learnt my parents would kick me out and cut contact with me whilst I was at university.
“That was quite scary for me and shocking. I had to focus on assignments and started working two jobs so I could afford my own apartment.”
Joy was able to afford her own apartment and as a hobby whilst at university, she started influencing on Instagram by sharing fashion and beauty posts. Public relations agencies quickly started to notice Joy and wanted to collaborate with her.
Now, with over 5,000 followers on Tik Tok, Joy uses her platform for good. She said: “Now, I’m a telephone counsellor and speak with loads of people everyday listening to their problems and helping them to keep them motivated which is very rewarding and what I wanted to do.
“I’ve always been very ambitious and always wanted more. I started influencing on Tik Tok giving free therapy advice.
“People absolutely love it, I get a lot of engagement and a lot of people asking questions about how they can get through certain situations .It’s just amazing people can access this information online for free.”
This year, Joy attended a This is Icon London fashion week event for being an icon and recognised for her work. At these events, Joy has met people such as Sam Bailey the winner of The X Factor in 2013 and Black Pepper from season 4 of Ru Paul’s Drag Race. Joy has also helped raise money for the charity: ‘Prost8.’ Never imagining that she would be in the position she is today, Joy said: “It’s crazy.
“ I never thought that any of this would have been possible for someone who’s grown up in care and has had such a horrible background, always being let down. I just wanted to erase the stigma of care kids not doing so well.
“My family and I are reconnecting and continue to work on that connection but it’s slow progress. I’m passionate about having a family even though it hasn’t always been good and raising money for charity.”
Joy spoke about her future plans and said: “I’ve always wanted to be a counsellor, which I am so anything on top is a bonus. I want to keep it going, I’d love to start my own practise maybe and branch out.
“You have to keep yourself motivated, there may be a lot of people not backing you, I was told by lots of different people: my ex-partner and previous friendships that I couldn’t go to university because I wasn’t smart enough and I looked at my situation and thought I couldn’t do it either but there was something inside me that said you just have to keep pushing on.
“You have to always remember what your goal is and where you want to be in life.”
Joy continued: “I didn’t really realise all my achievements until this red carpet event happened. I was standing there with all these people I never thought I’d be around and I think that’s when it hit me: this is out of the ordinary for someone like me.”
Kirsty Wilkinson, Head of Alumni Relations and Regular Giving at Nottingham Trent University said: “NTU has a global community of over 250,000 alumni, and we are incredibly proud of all of their collective successes and achievements. Joy is a perfect example of how determination and resilience can lead to success.
"She hasn’t let any obstacle hold her back and she truly an inspiration to everyone here at NTU as well as all those she encounters through her role as a counseller. As a university we are committed to not only providing a teaching and learning experience like no other, but also a range of life long benefits that will support our graduates to excel in their chosen career paths.
"We would encourage any alumni to get in touch and share their success stories with us. www.ntu.ac.uk/proud”
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