If at first – or second – you don’t succeed, there could always be third time lucky.
That was the message of perseverance from a graduate yesterday as she finally finished her degree, despite being rejected from the course on two previous occasions.
Alicia Garland, who lives in Inverness, was delighted to collect her degree in medicine after spending many years pursuing the dream.
The 28-year-old said: “I didn’t get in to do medicine first time, or second time, but my message would be that if you really want something, just keep going and keep trying, because, if you want it bad enough, it will happen for you.
“You have to be resilient because things don’t always go according to plan, but here I am graduating and those two initial setbacks also gave me time to get a further degree in biomedical science and physiology and a masters in nutrition and metabolism.”
Miss Garland, originally from Sussex, will now be starting work at Raigmore Hospital, something she describes as her “dream job”.
She added: “When I was a kid, we used to come on holiday here, so studying in Aberdeen and living in Inverness has been a dream and it sometimes feels like I am always on holiday.
“I’ve always loved it here, I find it so beautiful and the people are all so lovely.
“After today, I will be starting work at Raigmore Hospital as a foundation doctor. And it really is my dream job, I am just so excited because it has a bit of everything involved.
“It has some teaching which I really wanted to do, it has a bit of rural activity at Fort William and it is an incredible part of the world to live.”
Since moving to Scotland 10 years ago, she met her partner, Scott, and declared she had been exhilarated by her time in Aberdeen.
She said: “Graduating is fantastic, I really cannot describe it. Aberdeen has been my yellow brick road, has offered me nothing but opportunities and has been a fantastic place to learn.
“Looking back, I really can’t imagine learning, working or living anywhere else.”
