Scott Rae has grown used to scaling peaks in recent years and not just in the academic world.
So he was understandably feeling on top of the world when he collected his degree at Aberdeen University yesterday.
Mr Rae from Inverurie graduated in Biomedical Science and Pharmacology, and looked back on one of his principal highlights: tackling the biggest mountain in north Africa.
He said: “I climbed Mount Toubkal in my third year of university for Child Reach International, who help children in other countries get access to education.
“I did lots of events prior to the trip to raise money and managed to get over £1500.
“The expedition consisted of climbing Mount Toubkal in the Atlas mountains in Morocco. It’s the highest peak in North Africa, and then I trekked along the coast of Morocco for three days as well, and it was over 100km in total.”
Reflecting on the trip, he admitted that while he had wanted to give up at certain points, his passion for supporting charities kept him going.
He said: “There were moments when I really wanted to stop, but I just had to persevere. It was also really good fun and such a life experience.
“I decided to do it during university because, even though I have always given to charity, I wanted to do something more proactive.
“I’ve always been passionate about charity and I would urge people definitely to join a society of some kind.
“You meet so many people and get so many connections and it also gives you skills which your degree doesn’t.
“My passion for giving back and raising funds for charity is definitely what kept me going through the walk.”
Mr Rae also worked part-time through university which proved very beneficial.
He added: “I found that gave me a lot of motivation through university and gave me good work skills of being punctual and organised.
“I would recommend university so much, because it has been a fantastic experience and a very special few years.”