Hankies at the ready – it’s Graduation!
Marquee in the Quad? Tick. Proud parents, grandparents, partners and children? Yup. Incredible achievement beating the most extraordinary odds? We’ve got you. Seeing the next generation of Queen’s graduates climb up to the platform as they start the next stage of their lives is always so emotional – they’ve worked so hard and they’ve achieved incredible things. So, if you’ve got your hankie ready, meet some of the newly minted members of the Queen’s alumni community.
When new Law graduate Lauren Crawford became a mother at 15, everyone told her to ‘aim lower’. Luckily she didn’t listen. And she wants everyone to know why.
In 2011, Lauren gave birth to her son Paul – which meant leaving school at just 15. “I had Paul just before I turned 16 and while I can say, hand on heart, he is the best thing to ever happen to me, becoming a mother at such a young age dramatically changed the trajectory of my life and the sudden change is something no one can really prepare you for,” she says. “I really struggled with trying to figure out what was next for me in terms of education and building a life for us both.
“I had been told from the age of 16 by numerous people that because I was a young single mother, my dream of studying law some day was over – and I should set my sights on something easier to achieve, and ‘aim lower’.”
Despite her struggles, Lauren was passionate about fulfilling her dream of studying law and was determined to be a successful role model for Paul, now aged 11. She took her GCSEs and A-levels, and achieved top results.
“Hearing those words ‘aim lower’ only made me more determined to succeed in trying to end the stereotype and stigma around being a young mother, and to show that it is indeed possible to have a child at a young age and still study at university,” says Lauren.
“It hasn’t been easy finding that balance between university and my home life, but I have a wonderful family that has supported me throughout my time at Queen’s.
“It has been difficult as my grandad had been very sick during the last few years and sadly passed away in May just after my last exam, but he was always so supportive and wanted me to continue with my studies regardless of how ill he had been.
"He knew how important it was to continue, not only for me, but for Paul, to prove you can successfully get back into education at any age.”
Following her graduation, Lauren plans to take a year off to work, and intends to study for her Master’s in International Human Rights Law at Queen’s the following year.
“Paul is getting ready to start secondary school in September,” she says. “He is a wonderful child, and I can’t wait to see what he achieves in the future.
“He has been great at dealing with how busy I have been the past three years while studying at Queen’s. I wanted to make sure he understands, from a young age, the importance of further education and of fulfilling your dreams.”
Founding a business, building a racing car from scratch, gaining a first-class degree in Mechanical Engineering – it’s all in a day’s work for Peter Gillan. Here’s how he did it.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time at Queen’s,” says Peter Gillan. “It’s provided a great balance between academic work and extracurricular activities. I learn more by working on extracurricular projects and Queen’s has provided the perfect avenue to explore that.”
For example, during lockdown, Peter founded a new business – Atlas Smart Technologies, which integrates an app with smart dumbbell technology, securing £10,000 in backing from the Queen’s Students’ Union Dragons’ Den competition. Oh, and he’s somehow found the time to build a racing car from scratch: Peter has been involved with the Queen’s Formula Racing team to design and construct a car to compete in the annual Formula Student race.
“Queen’s Formula Racing has proven to be the highlight of my university experience,” says Peter. “There are around 40 people who work together to build a car each year. We race at Silverstone against other universities, providing an exciting environment to develop our engineering abilities.
“I’ve been involved with Formula Student for five years now. It helped me put academic theory into practice and prepare me for industry. It’s played a huge role in developing my engineering abilities.”
But he’s managed to fit in study, too. “A particular highlight of my time at Queen’s was studying in the Engineering Leadership Programme. This is an industry-backed course that aims to prepare engineering graduates for leadership roles post-graduation.
“Through the programme, I was able to work as a warranty engineer for Aston Martin Lagonda. It prepared me to apply for the Royal Academy of Engineering Leaders Scholarship, which has proven invaluable in helping to further my personal development.”
Peter is now taking a few well-earned months off, but he won’t be idle. He’ll be volunteering in Tanzania, as well as further developing his business with a new workout tracking app – Stronger. He will then start a new job as a business analyst for McKinsey & Company in London. “Studying Mechanical Engineering at Queen’s allows students to develop a lot of transferable skills, strongly emphasising problem-solving and logical thinking,” he says. “This transfers to many different disciplines and opens various career paths.”
Sophie O’Neill, who graduates this year in Social Work, wasn’t allowed to visit her beloved Granda in his care home during the pandemic. She saw how badly the lack of human contact affected him – so she started a national campaign.
In January 2020, Sophie’s grandfather Stanley had to be placed in a care home due to the progression of his dementia. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, care homes went into lockdown – and no visits were allowed.
“As you can imagine this was a difficult time for my family and I, and caused a lot of distress for relatives and their loved ones in care – residents rely so heavily on interactions, and visits from their family and friends,” says Sophie.
“I could see how badly this was affecting my grandfather so I decided I would channel my motivation to fight for residents to have normalised visits, and became a volunteer for Care Home Advice and Support NI.”
Sophie was determined to become an advocate for people like her grandfather. She worked with the Department of Health, The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority and the Patient and Client Council NI to develop the Care Partners’ Guidance in Care Home and Hospital Settings. This guidance protects patients, residents and staff from Covid-19 – while recognising the importance of human contact to health and wellbeing. It was passed in September 2020.
“I had the opportunity to tell my grandfather’s story, regarding the detrimental impact of having no visitations was having on his health and wellbeing,” says Sophie.
“Through several publicity measures, such as a public protest outside Stormont, radio presentations and newspapers, the care partners guidance was finally passed and the benefits to my grandfather and other residents were evident immediately.”
Sadly, in December 2021, Sophie’s grandfather passed away just before she was meant to complete her final third-year social work placement. Sophie says: “I am graduating not just for me, but also for my grandfather – who I know would have been so proud, and will be there with me in spirit.”
From a small island in the Grenadines to Queen’s, Emanuel Patrick Quashie has had an extraordinary journey to achieving his PhD. But, he says, he’d never have made it if it wasn’t for the people who have helped him along the way.
Emanuel has achieved incredible success as a student. He was the recipient of a highly competitive and prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship in 2018 to study in the UK. Before that, Emmanuel received an award after completing his BSc in International Relations with first class honours; he was also awarded the Departmental Graduate Staff Prize for Outstanding Final Research Paper in the International Relations concentration of the MSc Government programme. And now he has successfully passed his PhD viva – with no corrections.
But Emanuel has had to overcome many obstacles to achieve his dream of getting his PhD. Originally from the island of Bequia, the second-largest in the Grenadines, he lived on the island of Saint Vincent for most of his life.
“Instability plagued the early years of my life as my mom was unwell, but I was lucky to be unofficially adopted by the most loving, caring and kind-hearted human being, Mrs Berkley and her three wonderful daughters,” he says.
“After living with them for a number of years, I was placed at the Liberty Lodge Boys’ Training Centre. The institution helped to instil important lessons in me that I have carried with me to this day.
“My family, friends and the people of Bequia all played an instrumental role in my earlier years, particularly during my high school years – especially my grandmother Dorothy, who I still miss to this day.
“I am also grateful to have found a few ‘moms’ along my journey, whose unwavering love and support of my academic journey has helped to keep me grounded and developed my razor-sharp focus.
“Most importantly, I want to dedicate my PhD success to my mother Joanne Quashie, who resides in the mental institution in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
“My mom remained a source of my strength, inspiration, motivation and perseverance throughout my struggles and, in particular, my academic endeavours. I know she is very proud of me.”
Following his graduation, Emanuel hopes to teach international relations and terrorism studies to help others understand the history of conflict, and to share his knowledge and expertise in the field.
And he has found another family at Queen’s. “I fully enjoyed myself as a student at Queen’s University. My supervisor Professor Richard English, administrative staff, library staff and Queen’s accommodation staff made me feel like I was part of a family – a Queen’s family.”
And finally, who says you can’t earn as you learn? PwC technology degree apprentice Ronan Monaghan has just graduated with no fees to pay, work experience under his belt, and a job.
Ronan is part of the first ever cohort of PwC technology degree apprentices celebrating their graduations. For the last four years, they’ve been studying for their Software Engineering Higher Level apprenticeship, which includes a full BSc degree, along with taking part in high-quality work experience in PwC’s Belfast office.
The PwC apprentices enjoyed a full salary and benefits from their very first day and throughout the programme, as well as having their tuition fees paid – thanks to support from PwC and the Department for the Economy. They will now continue their careers at PwC.
“The Technology Degree Apprenticeship has provided me with a head start in my professional life,” says Ronan. “I have not been hampered with student loans thanks to no tuition fees and a salary from PwC, I have received relevant work experience that supplemented my studies rather than taking away from them, and I have been offered a full-time job at the end of it all. I have also made long-lasting friendships in both work and university. To anyone considering studying at Queen’s to pursue a career in technology, I would highly recommend this programme.”
The technology degree apprenticeship was designed to act as a key pillar to support the growth of the Northern Ireland economy, by helping produce skilled talent in a field where demand is high and which is predicted to grow in the coming years. The full funding and salary enables students from all socio-economic backgrounds to access a degree and work experience and, just like Ronan, accelerate their career.
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