One former Gordon Schools pupil did not have the most conventional start to higher education, spending the first five months of her course on crutches.
But Johanna Barclay did not let a knee injury get in the way of her success, and she graduated from North East Scotland College (NESCol) yesterday with a HND in social sciences.
The 20-year-old, from Insch,said: “The start of my college experience was far from the norm as I had suffered from a serious knee injury the month before and was required to use crutches for nearly six months.
“Although this hindered me physically, it didn’t have an impact on my determination to continue with my course as it was something I thoroughly enjoyed learning about.”
Miss Barclay applied to study social sciences because she knew it would make the transition between school and university easier, and she has never looked back.
She said: “I enjoyed learning about new topics, which I was not able to study in school. I also appreciate the support which I received from the staff when I was struggling with particular aspects of my course.”
Now having taken the step from college to university, Miss Barclay is studying psychology at Aberdeen University, gaining entry directly into the second year of the course.
She is now pursuing her dream of becoming an educational psychologist or counsellor, but first is planning a celebratory dinner with her friends and family.