Top University Prize For Buxton Worker
18 March 2011
Caroline Goodwin
Caroline receiving the Vice-Chancellor's Prize
A Buxton-born student will be applauded by work colleagues as well as family, fellow graduates and tutors when she graduates in March as she will receive a First Class honours degree and the Vice-Chancellor's prize for best undergraduate performance - all achieved all while working full time.
Caroline aged 24, from Harpur Hill, will graduate from the University of Derby Buxton on March 26 with a First Class Joint Honours degree in Managing in the Service Sector and Public Relations. She decided to enrol on the course in 2007 whilst working at Buxton's Paul Vaines Engineering Services.
She said: "I'd been working for Paul Vaines for five years when I realised I wanted to develop my business skills and so decided to go back to university. As I really enjoyed my job and needed to support myself throughout my studies, I decided to continue working.
"Studying for a degree while working full time was tough, but it was definitely worth it. I would have been happy just to have graduated but receiving a First and the Award has made it really worthwhile."
Sheila Mclaughlin, Lecturer in Business and Management, added: "Caroline performed incredibly well throughout her degree and deserves to be one of our highest scoring students at this year's Awards ceremony and the winner of the Vice-Chancellor's prize.
"Not only did she manage to achieve this incredible standard, but she did so whilst working. Because of her infectious enthusiasm and creativity, Caroline has been an amazing motivator to other students, and both her fellow graduates and tutors are all incredibly proud of her."
Caroline's success was in no small part due to her final year dissertation, which examined students' attitudes to a potential rise in fees. Using questionnaires and focus groups, Caroline explored the views of 80 Foundation and Honours degree students on a possible raise of the cost of Foundation degrees to bring them into line with Honours.
For more information on the Joint Honours degrees or other programmes at the University of Derby Buxton visit website www.derby.ac.uk/udb
