An Inverurie woman who turned 60 just four days ago is celebrating graduating from North East Scotland College (Nescol) with an HND in textiles.
After losing her mum in 2019, Amanda Charteris decided to take the plunge and apply to study at college.
She said: “It was a bit of a catalyst for me to do what I wanted to do in my life, rather than what other people wanted me to do.”
Starting her course at level six, Mrs Charteris said she found it “daunting” at first and she went in with the mentality of only “seeing how it goes”.
Now she is preparing for the next stage of her studies at Robert Gordon University.
‘I’m amazed at how far I’ve come’
Despite being the eldest in all of her classes, with some of her classmates being as young as her daughter, she said that she made “lifelong friends” along the way, describing her college experience as being “fantastic”.
Mrs Charteris is now at RGU studying for a BA in fashion and textile design, where she went straight into second year.
She said: “I’m amazed at how far I’ve come in such a short time, studying at Nescol really gave me the confidence to go on to university.”
In the future she hopes to hold textile design workshops for people with mental health issues, especially new mums who suffer from postnatal depression.
She added: “Having to focus on the design process can really help people towards recovery.
“I’m living proof that it is never too late to follow your dreams. I’ve always been fascinated by design and really wanted to study it at college or university but had never felt that the time was right to do it.”
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