Hard work pays off for Ross-shire students at UHI Inverness
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More than 300 students celebrated their academic achievements with friends, family and staff.
Two graduation ceremonies for students attending UHI Inverness took place in the city’s Free North Church in Bank Street last Friday, with around 900 people attending.
Students celebrated success in a range of higher education qualifications including Higher National Certificates, Higher National Diplomas, Degrees and Postgraduate programmes.
Among them were a number from the Ross-shire area, including Jodie Mullery (34), from Avoch, who was a stay-at-home mum of three small boys when she decided to begin her studies after the death of her partner.
She initially studied hairdressing before progressing onto HNC fashion make-up and is now starting up her own make-up and hairdressing business venture, to show her three sons that hard work and determination does pay off.
“I absolutely loved my time at UHI Inverness,” she said. “I honestly miss it so much. I always felt respected and was encouraged by my lecturers to keep going when times were hard or when I didn’t believe in myself. I never would have been able to do it without them. Realising I was capable and had the ability to be a hairdresser and a make-up artist was just the best feeling.”
Zoe Field (35), from Dingwall, studied a HNC in social services after deciding she wanted to become a support worker to help other female victims of domestic abuse while she was living in a women’s refuge with two children and pregnant with her third.
She now works as a relief drug and alcohol support worker in Beechwood House, in Inverness, where she completed her student placement.
She said: “The atmosphere is very relaxed around UHI Inverness, and I enjoyed integrating with others. There was support readily available if and when you needed it. When I started my student placement I was able to apply the theory into practice. I enjoyed every minute of my placement, so much so, I applied for a job there after finishing. I am also in contact with Women’s Aid hoping to obtain a job with them when one comes available.”
Professor Chris O’Neil, principal and chief executive of UHI Inverness, told graduates: “What you have learned and the qualifications you have gained at UHI Inverness will change your lives and open up doors for you.”
The morning guest speaker Sarah Rankin, a MasterChef finalist and a marketing agency owner, told the gathering: “Continuing to learn means you continue to grow as a person. Because when you focus on you – challenging yourself to be better and do better – you become a better person.”
