Student success recognised at SCEBE Annual Celebration event

Students from the School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment were recognised for their academic achievements at the Annual Celebration, which was held on January 20.

The event is an opportunity for the School to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of students, which included prizes provided by industry sponsors.

On the night, awards were presented for Best Level 3 and Top Level 4 Student from each programme, as well as awards from professional bodies.

Winners on the night included Forensic Investigation student Freya Rose Baird and Construction Management student Scott McIntosh, who both received the Best Level 3 award for their programme.

“To find out that I was the top performing student felt really special, especially getting to celebrate that with my sponsors, lecturers and family. It felt really good to know that my academic success has been validated and celebrated.” Freya explained.

“I would never have expected to have received an award like this. I completed my school exams during COVID, and a lot of us didn’t receive the results we were hoping for. It put the idea in my mind that I wasn’t very smart, but since coming to university I have really felt that my studies have been recognised and I’m often reminded of how well I’m doing, which was really unexpected.”

Reflecting on her academic journey, Freya owes thanks to a guidance teacher who helped point her in the direction of the Forensic Investigation course at GCU. She said:

“When it came to choosing what I wanted to do after school, I really wasn’t sure and more so when I didn’t get the exam results that I wanted. I sat down with my guidance teacher, who is actually an Alumni from the Forensic Investigation programme, and she really recommended applying to the course. She helped me compare courses from other universities and the course at GCU seemed like the right fit for me.”

Scott, whose journey to GCU came from the decision to change careers, has felt that his decision to study Construction Management at GCU was the correct choice.

He explained: “It felt really good, like a nice pat on the back in terms of all the hard work that I’ve put in for the last three years and some motivation to finish the rest of my degree.

I was so surprised when I received the email to say that I was awarded Top Performing student of my course. It’s really made me feel that all the hard work and late nights was worth it. My wife actually burst into tears when I told her that I got the award, so it’s been really nice to feel that pride and support from your family.”

I was looking for a new challenge after deciding to change careers, so it meant that I would be joining the course as a Mature student. I’ve always had a fascination with the built environment and I wanted to find a career where I could combine the soft skills that I had gained from my previous career with the practical techniques that I would learn through Construction Management. GCU really stood out to me because of the industrial experience combined with theory, so I knew it was right one for me.”

By Rachael McAlonan

Got a SCEBE or GSBS story? Email me at Rachael.McAlonan@gcu.ac.uk or connect with me on social media