Aberdeen University wrapped up its winter graduation season with a second day of celebrations on Thursday.
The university welcomes students from all over the world, but there were also plenty of local students who walked across the stage to collect their degrees and awards.
We heard a few of the inspiring stories from the Class of 2022, and there were more feats of perseverance on display during Wednesday’s ceremonies.
Cancer can’t compete with determination
Surviving leukaemia twice and losing her dad and sister has made Elizabeth Jade MacLean feel incredibly lucky to be graduating with a Master of Theology in Ministry Studies.
Known as Jade, the 46-year-old was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2015. She moved to Glasgow to undergo treatment at the Beatson Cancer Centre.
Having already completed an undergraduate degree in Divinity, her diagnosis led her to her calling as a minister.
But in 2019, Jade’s cancer came back and in 2020 she had a bone marrow transplant.
Jade said: “I had to defer my studies with the University of Aberdeen because of my illness but the university was very understanding. I was also able to study remotely which helped because I had no immune system.
“My lecturers have been hugely supportive. I’ve also lost my dad and my sister in the last year so it is incredibly special to be graduating and to have my mum here with me. I feel incredibly lucky to be here on so many levels and I am amazed I have got this far.”
Jade, of Glenelg, is now in the final stages of her probation with the Church of Scotland, working in Ardnamurchan.
She says she wants to continue her work with the church in a Highland community.
Black belt and the bearer of a family legacy
Benjamin Armstrong, 23, continued a family tradition when he collected his Masters in Music on Thursday afternoon.
Preceding him on campus: his grandfather – former head of statistics at Aberdeen University – as well as his grandmother, mother, father, aunt, uncle and cousins, who all studied at Aberdeen.
Benjamin, from Blackburn, began his Aberdeen career in 2017 when he started his undergraduate degree.
Throughout the years that followed, he said that he faced his fair share of challenges.
“Although my studies have not always been plain sailing as I have had to battle family upheaval, bereavement, the odd health issue, injuries and all the while running four part time jobs throughout my studies, I can honestly say that my university experience has been very enriching and I have looked forward to every semester,” he said. “And somehow I never missed a lecture!”
Benjamin plays the saxophone, and said that performance was a major part of his time at Aberdeen.
A member of the jazz society and the university saxophone ensemble, he was also known to kick off impromptu sessions with friends.
Like another of his fellow graduates, Benjamin balanced studies with competitive martial arts. He earned his second-degree black belt in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation ) Taekwondo and competed at a national level.
Giving birth and getting degrees
As if graduating with an MSc in Leadership and Professional Contexts wasn’t enough, Moray graduate Emma Thomson also gave birth to her first child only a few days ago.
She began her studies as part of a short course offered to her through her role at Highland Council as a middle manager in a secondary school but found a passion for studying at university level again.
Emma continued studying for a further two years to gain the full Masters degree, juggling this with a new role in a Moray school and pregnancy.
Now that the caps have been tossed, Emma has her sights set on some well-earned family time.
“I am very much looking forward to enjoying my maternity leave with my little boy, after which I will be returning to work to fully utilise the knowledge and understanding gained through my studies,” she says.
“It wasn’t easy balancing the different pressures on my time and I was delighted to complete the course with commendation.
“Support from Isabelle Boyd, my replacement supervisor, very near to the end of the course was hugely beneficial, as well as regular communication with other course members.”
Time to ‘make a difference within education’
Aberdeen’s Niamh Stolvoort is a graduate trainee in the access and articulation team. She’s passionate about helping students from diverse backgrounds gain access to university.
She has already achieved a first-class undergraduate degree in Politics, International Relations, and Theology from Aberdeen.
But, most recently, she juggled writing her Masters dissertation with her busy day job.
Niamh visits schools and fairs across the country to encourage young people to reach their full potential through higher education.
She will collect her MSc in Political Activism and Campaigning cheered on by family, friends and members of her team.
Niamh said her Master’s degree has given her a new understanding of barriers in education and life.
“I know that to make real change in the decision centres of government you need to understand how it works and how campaigners can influence those decisions,” she says.
“I really want to make a difference within education and to do that I would need to know these things.”
Sally Middleton, access and articulation manager, said that Niamh hit the ground running.
“She has made changes from day one in the areas she has responsibility for and is proving to be a strong role model for the pupils we work with, encouraging them to consider new pathways to their future.
“The whole team are exceptionally proud of her academic achievements and is looking forward to celebrating with her.”
Conversation