Top social work award for GCU graduate

05 July 2012

Top social work award for GCU graduate

The BA (Hons) Social Work topped the 2012 Sunday Times University League Table

Katherine Hammond has been presented with the City of Glasgow prize for top performing social work student.
The 35-year-old, from Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, graduated with 1st Class Honours BA (Hons) Social Work from Glasgow Caledonian University.
The prize was introduced in 2008 and has been awarded to the top student in each year since. Since its inception in 2004, GCU’s BA (Hons) Social Work has earned plaudits from throughout the profession, and it topped the 2012 Sunday Times University League Table social work category.
Katherine said: “The GCU Social Work programme presented a variety of learning opportunities and brought me into contact with service user groups I had not previously encountered. The programme was challenging and it was helpful to be taught by lecturers who are actively involved in social work research and policy development, and I am I looking forward to putting this knowledge into practice.”
Senior lecturer in Social Work, Mary Girvan, said: “The programme is highly successful, with the number of applicants far exceeding places available each year. One of its exceptional aspects is the high number of students who come from areas and families who would not traditionally consider entering Higher Education.”
Graduate Rachelle Walker was one such student, who thought she had left it too late to consider university. After being accepted on to the GCU degree course, Rachelle was determined to complete the programme and was back on campus and back to her studies just four weeks after having a baby.
Rachelle said: “The last four years have gone by in a whirlwind and I cannot believe that my time at university is over. Attending GCU meant everything to me – I was 29 when I started the course and I think being that bit older is one of the reasons I made the most of everything GCU had to offer.
“I had learned from my previous mistakes and I wanted my life to go on a different path. Receiving the phone call from GCU to say I had been accepted on to the course was a dream come true. My time at GCU has been a rollercoaster and there were times when I considered giving it all up but I never did, thanks to the support and encouragement of the lecturers and staff.”

GCU graduate Katherine Hammond has been presented with the City of Glasgow prize for top performing social work student.

The 35-year-old, from Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, graduated with 1st Class Honours BA (Hons) Social Work from Glasgow Caledonian University.

The prize was introduced in 2008 and has been awarded to the top student in each year since. Since its inception in 2004, GCU’s BA (Hons) Social Work has earned plaudits from throughout the profession, and it topped the 2012 Sunday Times University League Table social work category.

Katherine said: “The GCU Social Work programme presented a variety of learning opportunities and brought me into contact with service user groups I had not previously encountered. The programme was challenging and it was helpful to be taught by lecturers who are actively involved in social work research and policy development, and I am I looking forward to putting this knowledge into practice.”

Senior lecturer in Social Work, Mary Girvan, said: “The programme is highly successful, with the number of applicants far exceeding places available each year. One of its exceptional aspects is the high number of students who come from areas and families who would not traditionally consider entering Higher Education.”

Graduate Rachelle Walker was one such student, who thought she had left it too late to consider university. After being accepted on to the GCU degree course, Rachelle was determined to complete the programme and was back on campus and back to her studies just four weeks after having a baby.

Rachelle said: “The last four years have gone by in a whirlwind and I cannot believe that my time at university is over. Attending GCU meant everything to me – I was 29 when I started the course and I think being that bit older is one of the reasons I made the most of everything GCU had to offer.

“I had learned from my previous mistakes and I wanted my life to go on a different path. Receiving the phone call from GCU to say I had been accepted on to the course was a dream come true. My time at GCU has been a rollercoaster and there were times when I considered giving it all up but I never did, thanks to the support and encouragement of the lecturers and staff.”

Share/Save/Bookmark