Fiona Steven was at first daunted by the idea of moving to a city to attend university.
Growing up in a rural area of the Highlands, she viewed studying at Robert Gordon University as a big push outside of her comfort zone.
Today, she says it was the best decision she has ever made as she celebrates her graduation after four years of hard work.
“I’m the first person from my family to move off for university, which made coming to Aberdeen scary,” she said.
“I often experienced feelings of being homesick, but I’m proud that I managed to adapt and have never looked back.
“I come from a small, remote town and I knew early on that I wanted to move away from home to experience university life and the opportunities coming from living in a city would bring.”
‘A lovely day’
Miss Steven, from Wick, is celebrating her graduation ceremony with her family and said it was great to see everyone she has attended classes with over the years.
“It was a lovely day, the weather really made it,” she added.
The 22-year-old went straight to university to study accounting and finance after completing sixth year at school, and said it was her first choice due to the unique placement year.
She also praised the career focus at RGU which has helped her gain a post-graduation job at an accounting firm in Edinburgh.
“The university has amazing connections with firms, which is how we were lucky enough to get our placements.,” she said.
“Our course material was also continuously updated to reflect on any changes in what the professional bodies and employers needed. This approach works in our favour, as shown by the high percentage of graduates who leave with relevant job opportunities lined – up.”
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