Erin Anderson believes her strength to overcome all obstacles during her university degree came from the determination to make her mother proud.
One of the hardest things for the 22-year-old from Wick was leaving everything familiar behind and moving to the big city just months after her mother died from cancer.
With a passion for drawing, Miss Anderson always knew she would pursue a career in the creative industry – whether that would be art, design or manufacture.
An applicant’s day at Robert Gordon University (RGU) “sealed the deal” for her and she leaped at the chance to study architectural technology in Aberdeen.
‘I’m proud to have made it to the end for my mum and dad’
As she celebrated her graduation at P&J Live today, Miss Anderson said her greatest achievement was never giving up to the hurdles and making her mum proud.
She said: “I thought about her every time I struggled with an assignment, every time I felt nervous walking into a lecture hall five minutes late, and every time I got a good grade.
“My dad always said that had she still been with us she’d be down visiting, cleaning up for me and batch cooking me dinners. But in a way, it forced me to learn for myself how to survive, even if that did mean burning mince to the bottom of all my pans and somehow managing to do my washing wrong nearly every single time.
“My mum was my biggest fan and never stopped pushing my brother and I to do our best. I believe that the strength I needed to get through the last four years came from her and I’m proud that I made it to the end, not just for myself but for her and my dad.”
Today, Miss Anderson celebrated graduating with a 2:1 degree in architectural technology from The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment.
Final year was a highlight
Despite her personal challenges, she said she feels extremely proud to have completed her four years of study, particularly during the pandemic.
One of the highlights was her final year when she reunited with her coursemates on campus after two years of virtual lectures and group projects.
She said: “It was hard for my classmates and I to maintain a bond throughout our studies during the pandemic but the staff at RGU were fantastic.
“Days spent in studio were always my favourite, when we could work alongside each other, bouncing ideas off one another.
“We all became part of each other’s ‘everyday’ which I don’t think I had truly appreciated until university was over.”
Miss Anderson is now looking forward to sink her teeth into her graduate job as an assistant architectural technician at Avant Homes in Stirling.
New job ‘big, but exciting move’
Looking back on her four years at RGU, she said her greatest pillar of strength has been her family, who supported her every step of the way to fulfilling her dreams.
Miss Anderson added: “The support I have received from my family has been crucial and I know, without it, the road to graduation would have been a lot bumpier.
“Aside from academic side, I feel I’ve gained a huge amount of confidence and people skills which will invaluable as I enter the working world.
“My new job is another big, but exciting move.
“I’m building on what I’ve learned in the last four years at the Scott Sutherland School and I’m excited to see what is to come.”
- To find out who else has been graduating this week, check out our interactive list.
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