Not even a daily four-hour commute could stop Sophie Allardes from completing her media degree at RGU.
During the last four years, the 21-year-old travelled from her home in Dunphail, Moray to Aberdeen by train to attend her classes.
She began her degree at North East Scotland College (NESCol) and studied there for two years, before becoming a direct entry student at RGU.
Throughout her studies to achieve her degree, she praised “passionate lecturers” for making the process so worthwhile.
She said: “I quickly got used to the commute – it ended up being quite fun in the end.
“It worked out a lot cheaper on the train rather than moving, and after I finished the college course, I decided I might as well keep commuting.
“College and university have been two very different – but very good – experiences.
“I’ve enjoyed the classes, the lecturers have been lovely and I’ve made so many friends.
“I’m from the countryside, so city life initially wasn’t really my thing – but I’ve grown so much confidence and become more independent.”
Ms Allardes is the first of her family to go to university, and was joined by parents Fiona and Graham at His Majesty’s Theatre yesterday.
The graduate would like to work in history, and has researched her own family ties to Scotland’s whisky industry as part of that process.
She said: “I’m so happy that I’ve achieved my goal of making my family proud.”
