A journey of personal struggles, heartbreak and loss has ended with a smile for one RGU student as she graduated with first-class honours.
Iona Howarth from Rothes in Moray was among hundreds of graduating students at today’s ceremony at P&J Live.
And as she celebrated on stage, she reflected on a route to a glowing LLB in Law which has been far from plain-sailing.
A ‘scary’ start, and then things got worse for Robert Gordon University student Iona
“It still feels quite surreal that I have achieved a first-class honours in Law,” said the former Speyside High School pupil, who obtained seven A’s in her final year.
“At the beginning of my studies, it was during Covid. When I moved to Aberdeen, everything was online.
“It was a very scary time for me and I guess everyone starting university.
“A new city, new people, new university and essentially a whole new way of life, with the challenges that the pandemic brought.
“The first year was very hard. Doing all the learning online, and having few social connections or even opportunities to socialise was very difficult.
“I found it hard to learn properly online and with that, to get the motivation to do well. At that point it all felt like it wasn’t real life.”
‘One of the most difficult years of my life’
After an understandably difficult start to university life, it didn’t get any better for Iona with the easing of the pandemic.
“My second year of university was one of the most difficult years of my life,” she said.
“Halfway through second year I found out my mum had Stage 2 breast cancer.
“At that moment I had to make a decision whether I felt strong enough to stick to my studies or to just give up.
“Thankfully after a lot of convincing from family members – my Grandad in particular – I decided to stay on.
“Watching how strong my mum was through all her radiotherapy treatments, and how she manged to ring the bell and beat cancer gave me the strength to keep going. It was inspirational.
“Unfortunately in 2023, the dearest and closest person in my life, my Grandad, suddenly passed away.
“At that point I felt like I could never go back to university.
“I had a meeting with my head of year who suggested that deferring the year – my final – may be my best option as this was the year that really counted.
“Eventually, I decided not to defer and to instead push through with my studies – I wanted to make my grandad proud.”
Iona never got an A, then came a turning point…
With life throwing challenges at her from the start of her studies, Iona struggled to obtain grades as high as she’d wanted throughout her first three years at RGU.
It wasn’t until her final year that she got her first ever ‘A’. Her choice to continue studying, rather than deferring, was a catalyst for change.
“As of that moment I made use of a lot of RGU’s resources, such as the wellbeing centre, who were amazing to just talk to and helped me through any issues.
“After a tough year, never having received an A in my entire time at university, I can proudly say I finished my fourth year with seven A’s and one B. I was so overjoyed.”
She added: “The entire experience has left me with not only lifelong lessons, but it’s also shown myself and others that absolutely anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”
Staying on at Robert Gordon University in preparation for legal career
Having now graduated, Iona is keen to return to Robert Gordon University (RGU) to do a Diploma in Professional Legal Practice, and credits the university with keeping her “on track”.
Mostly though, Iona ought to be proud of her resilience to keep going right until the end.
“The decision to continue my studies, inspired by my family’s support and particularly my Grandad’s encouragement, was a pivotal moment in my life.
“Witnessing my mother’s strength during her treatment was incredibly inspiring and fuelled my determination to succeed.
“The support I received from RGU was particularly vital during my final year.
“Despite the grief and option to defer my studies, I chose to persevere, driven by the desire to honour my Grandad’s memory and make him proud.”
Conversation