graduation newsletter july 2013 - swansea university newsletter 2013.pdf · graduation newsletter -...

College of Human and Health Sciences

Graduation Newsletter - July 2013

Graduation Newsletter 2013

CongratulationsC ongratulations to all our students receiving awards from Swansea University this year. You

have worked hard to get to this point; studying, taking examinations, producing assessments and for some attending work-based placements.

Graduation is a time of pride and celebration in higher education, and Swansea University and the College of Human and Health Sciences has much to celebrate, with students complet-ing courses across a wide range of academic subjects and professional programmes at varying levels.

My colleagues and I work year on year to ensure that we deliver teaching that is both research-led and practice-driven and take great pride in knowing the contribution our students will make to society, whether local, national or international.

These are difficult times in which to be entering the world of work but you may have confidence that an award from Swansea enables you to begin that journey positively. Some of you may choose to continue your studies immediately or may choose to come back to us in years to come – we warmly welcome our former students back into the fold for postgraduate and research studies, and have a raft of options to enable you to develop further knowledge and skills for work or for more personal development.

Whatever you choose to do it’s a big world, step out and enjoy it!

Prof. Melanie JasperHead of College


Winner of the Head of College Award

Selena Carter

Julia Pridmore, Selena’s personal tutor “As Selena’s personal tutor I would like to say that she made my job very easy and also en-joyable.

She may appear to be really quiet and unassuming but once I got to know her I realised that Selena has a wicked sense of humour, a steely determination to do well and very high stand-ards. It has not surprised me that she has won the award for reflective writing because her approach to her studies and her clinical practice has been thoughtful and considered. It is also no surprise that she achieved first class honours.

I am very proud to say that I was her tutor and I wish her all the best for the future. I am sure that she will continue to be an asset to the profession of nurs-ing and a positive role model for student nurses following in her footsteps.”

Selena CarterBN Nursing (Adult)First Class Honours Winner of the Head of College Award for the Best Reflective Essay

When her grandfather was sadly taken ill and admitted to hospital during the last year of his life, Selena’s experiences led her towards a career in nursing.

She said: “My grandfather received both excellent care and unfortunately some not so good care at times. However the posi-tive care he received, and the support the nurses provided my grandfather and our family with, much outweighed any negative experiences we had. This inspired me to become a nurse and do the same for others and their families.” For Selena, who chose to come to Swansea University because of the quality of the nursing degree programme, the course wasn’t without its challenges.

She said: “Starting off was the most difficult challenge for me as I had no background in the caring profession. At times I felt a lack of confidence in myself but I threw myself into it! The rewards of a nursing career, the pride of feeling a part of some-thing and knowing that I was making a difference, however small, in people’s lives helped me to overcome any obstacles.

“I really enjoyed the course as a whole. I enjoyed all the practical sessions in the Aneurin Bevan suites and also enjoyed the responsibility of the third year community programme and having my own case load (which

my reflective practice essay was based on) as I believe it prepares you for the responsibility of qualifying.

“When undertaking essays always keep things simple! Make sure you use events that you find both interesting and inspiring when writing an academic piece, as it makes the gruelling job of writing an essay a much easier task - and you’ll always learn from it. Also, learn to use the support around you, including your family and personal tutor. I had an excellent personal tutor, Julia Pridmore, who was such a help. I don’t know how I would have gotten through the three years with her!”

Selena Carter

Selena’s tips for prospective students

“Go for it! The only way I can describe

the three years is like a rollercoaster ride; you’ll have ups and

downs but never give up and stay positive

because nursing is such a rewarding career

unlike anything else. It’s all worth it in the

end.”


Winner of the Una Bowd Award for Best Graduate Richard Griffiths BSc Medical Sciences and Humanities, First Class Honours

Attracted by the beach as well as by the BSc Medical Sciences and Humanities course, Richard decided to come to Swansea Univer-sity after a positive open day experience.

He said: “I loved the friendly and welcoming atmosphere at the open day and listened to an excellent presentation on my course by Dr. Andrew Hull. Also, coming from the Midlands, to have the beach so close was a real deal breaker!

“I chose my degree programme as I really wanted to work in healthcare but wasn’t entirely set on one particular part. The degree exposed me to very wide range of topics which enabled me to settle on and pursue one aspect of healthcare, which certainly wouldn’t have been the case prior to my degree.

“There have been a number of highlights throughout my pro-gramme: I have really enjoyed meeting my amazing course mates, I am working with a lec-turer to get an essay published in a journal and I have enjoyed doing placements in NHS set-tings. However, my favourite part of the degree was the Public Health module lead by Jan Lewis and Deb Fitzsimmons which has led to me to pursue a career in Public Health.”

Richard said that he is proud to have achieved a First Class degree and is now looking to the future.

He said: “I have been accepted onto the MSc Public Health and Health Promo-tion course at Swansea University and I hope to become a regis-tered Public Health Practitioner and develop my career through to consultant level.”

Richard’s tips for prospective students

“BSc Medical Sciences and Humanities is very demanding as you need to be able to write a large number of essays and revise for exams which are based on many different areas of healthcare.

“When you come to the end of your second year and you are doing a dissertation in your final year, use the summer to get as much as you can done. The earlier you start your dissertation, the more time you have to concentrate on your exams.”

“Richard’s academic performance improved steadily throughout his degree. This demonstrates his capacity for hard work, as well as the ability to learn from feedback in order to improve his overall grades.

“His grades in his final year are exceptionally good, so good that examiners recommended that he proceed to do master’s level study in one of the modules he excelled at. He has proved himself to be an outstanding student and I was delighted to learn that he has the highest overall marks this year.

“As someone who has taught Richard and witnessed his steady academic improvement it is a particular pleasure to see him do so well. I am sure he will go on to make a real contribution into his chosen career or academic pathway, and myself and the course team wish him all the very best for the future.”

Prof. Steve Edwards Programme Manager

Richard Griffiths


Jade SimsUpper Second Class HonoursBSc Criminology and Psychology

JOINT WINNERS

Olivia HarrisonUpper Second Class Honours

BSc Psychology and LawWith a forensic psychology career in mind, Joint

Honours student Olivia didn’t want to choose be-tween Psychology and Law – so she studied both!

She said: “Swansea was the only university that of-fered the joint degree of psychology and law when

I was applying and I liked the idea of being close to the beach. The fact that I hadn’t studied law at A Level made it hard initially to grasp the law

concepts and at first I found it difficult to balance the work load of the two subjects.”

Olivia’s hard work obviously paid off and she has been successful in winning the Psychology Best

Final Year Student Project Prize for a Joint Honours student: “I enjoyed conducting the research for my

final project, and the freedom to study in detail a subject that I was interested in” said Olivia.

Jade wanted to broaden her viewpoint of the world and the people within it (and enjoy the Swansea nightlife too!) so she chose to study Psychology and Criminology at Swansea University.

Jade said: “I chose the joint honours degree programme because I was really interested in the modules offered and I have enjoyed particular modules, such as Sexual Crimes and Language and Lifespan but my favourite part of the programme has been undertaking research.”

“One of the main highlights for me was being able to meet new people from all around the world, making friendships that will last a lifetime.”

Jade now plans to travel around Asia and Australia for a year but on her return she hopes to join the police force or the prison service.

Best Final Year Student Project Prize - Joint Honours in Psychology


Rachel ReesStudent of the Year BSc Early Childhood StudiesFirst Class Honours

Rachel’s tips for prospective students “Pace yourself! Try and find the balance

between self-directed study and leisure early on to ensure neither is neglected and to make your

university experience as enjoyable and worthwhile as possible.”

“Rachel has been awarded ECS student of the year for her sustained level of outstanding marks throughout her second and third years. Her work has been critical and thoughtful, and show-cased her understanding, drive and enthusiasm across topics in early childhood studies. Her dissertation in particular was an excellent piece of work exploring how creativity is nurtured in the Early Years Curriculum in Wales. Her supervisor noted that it was a ‘beautifully presented piece of work, well structured, analysed and discussed with valid implications for practice’.”

Dr Amy Brown Programme Manager

Rachel decided to pursue a career working with children after becoming interested in child development at school. She said: “I chose to study BSc Early Childhood Studies at Swansea because I felt the broad based nature of the course would provide me with a firm founda-tion for a career working with children. Also, I was drawn to the University’s lovely location, being close to town, country and beach. Having attended the open days I felt the staff were friendly, welcoming and supportive and Swansea was a highly-regarded well-resourced University.”

During her course, Rachel en-joyed taking part in observation sessions in local schools and liked the research process in-volved with writing her disserta-tion. Her favourite experience was when she had the opportu-nity to visit Swansea’s Kilvey Hill with a group of reception age children during a cold and rainy February day.

She said: “Even though we were soaking wet and covered in mud I actually really enjoyed myself. I had a brilliant time joining in the children’s games and observing how much they got out of being outdoors – this really cemented my goals for working with chil-dren.”

Now she has graduated Rachel remains committed to working with children. She said: “My

time spent volunteering in a special school for three years has confirmed my interest in pursuing a career working with children with special needs. I hope to explore opportunities in this area until I find a vocation which I find both enjoyable and challeng-ing and then undertake further education to develop relevant knowledge and skills.”

Rachel Rees

Student of the Year

BSc Early

Childhood Studies

Rachel Rees


Dr Michelle LeeDistinguished Teaching Award

Each year, all students are given the opportunity to nominate one of their teachers for a Distinguished Teaching Award. The awards are given to those members of staff who have made an outstanding contribution to the student learning experience. This year the University paid tribute to Dr Michelle Lee, a Senior Lecturer from the Department of Psychology, at graduation.

The College of Human and Health Sciences extends many congratulations to Dr Michelle Lee for improving the student experience and providing excellent teaching!


Aimee said: “I think Swansea has the whole package. It’s in a great location with accommoda-tion on site, and lectures and department buildings all on one campus…unlike some other city universities. It’s situated by the beach with plenty of activities and societies to get involved with outside of lectures.

“I would recommend this course to anyone thinking of studying psychology. Do it! First year lec-tures cover a lot of material from A Level Psychology and there are plenty of interesting topics in second and third year to choose from. I particularly enjoyed the third year of the programme where we could choose our own modules and carry out a project on a topic of our choice.”

So what does the future hold for Aimee? “I’ve been accepted onto a Primary PGCE course in Swansea Metropolitan University so will hopefully be a qualified primary teacher within the next year or so. I may come back to psychology

at a later date and possibly do a Master’s in Abnormal and Clini-cal Psychology. I would like to travel and volunteer abroad at some point too.”

Prof. Andy Parrott, Aimee’s personal tutor said:

“Aimee undertook an excellent final year project into the risky sexual behaviours of young recreational drug users. She compared two groups: alcohol drinkers, and recreational users of Ecstasy/MDMA.

“Both groups retrospectively re-ported more risky sexual behav-iours when under the influence of drugs, although there were significantly more risky behav-iours under MDMA, compared to alcohol.

“The project employed a battery of original assessment measures, and complex statistical analyses.

“In collaboration with her project supervisor, Amy is now planning to write up these novel and im-portant findings for publication in a psychopharmacology journal.”

Aimee’s tips for students

“With regards to the final year

project…choose a topic and project supervisor early

so you can spend the summer before

third year doing all of the research

and reading related journals.

If you get most of your research and

reading done in the summer, you can then spend

more time on other things such

as gathering participants or

dealing with tricky stats.”

Prof Jasper, Aimee May & Michelle Lee

Psychology Best Final Year Student Project Prize (Single Honours) Aimee MayFirst Class Honours BSc PsychologyAfter pursuing an A Level in Psychology, Aimee was inspired to embark on a Psychology degree so she could learn more about her favourite subject, and Swansea’s beach side campus proved a big hit too!


Emma Davies

Emma DaviesBSc Clinical Physiology (Respiratory Physiology)First Class Honours

First class student mum juggles family life with University studies

A Llanelli mum who suspended her studies to have her fourth child has achieved a First Class BSc degree today in Clinical Physiology (Respiratory Physiolo-gy) at Swansea University (9 July) and is planning to start a career as a respiratory physiologist.

Thirty five year old Emma Davies received her award at a Degree and Award Congregation for the University’s College of Human and Health Sciences, held in the City and County of Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall, Guildhall.

Emma also won the Respiratory Physiology Student of the Year Award sponsored by Vitalograph UK, provider of cardio-respir-atory diagnostic devices which donated £50 for the award and a letter of congratulation.

Emma was supported by her family including her husband Arwel and children Bryony aged 17, 11 year old Jonathan, Chris-topher aged nine and three year old Mathilda.

Emma’s journey to achieve her first class degree has been far from smooth and she has faced a number of challenges along the way. She initially started her studies in September 2007, but had to suspend them during her third year, in May 2010, as she was expecting a baby.

Her daughter Mathilda was born prematurely and severely ill and had to spend time in neonatal intensive care, while in February

2012 her son Jonathan, who also has learning difficulties, needed intensive care following an appendix operation. Both have since made a full recovery.

Although this meant that a return to her studies was delayed, with the support from the university, and funding from NLIAH (the National Leadership and Inno-vation Agency for Healthcare) Emma did return to university and now has achieved her First Class degree.

Emma said: “I am very grateful for the support of the university and my various NHS mentors and am so thrilled with my re-sults. I could not have completed my degree without the help and support of my husband, mother, mother-in-law and brother and I can’t thank them enough. On the other hand, the degree would have been a lot easier without the support of my darling, little angels! Now I want to concentrate on getting a career in respiratory physiology off the ground and am very hopeful for the future.”

“Emma took her return to university in her stride and immediately gelled with her cohort. She performed well in all her studies and in her vari-ous clinical placements. Emma has balanced bringing up her family, with her studies and has achieved an excellent degree.”

Nikki WilliamsCourse Director


Sebastian WhitefordPsychology Best Final Year StudentBSc PsychologyFirst Class Honours

Sebastian’s passion for psychol-ogy began when he studied the subject at GCSE. “There was never really any question for me that psychology was the course I wanted to pursue” he said.

Wishing to broaden his horizons during his degree, Sebastian chose to spend a year abroad as an Erasmus exchange student.

“Readjusting to student life in Swansea after my Erasmus year in Germany was pretty strange” he said.

“Everyone that I’d started univer-sity with had graduated and I’d been working on different topics in different ways for a year.

“It didn’t take too long to settle back in though, and it was such an amazing experience it was definitely worth it.”

Back at Swansea, Sebastian started work on his final year project. He said:

“I was fortunate enough to be able to run an electroencepha-lography project examining recognition memory in prosop-agnosics during my final year. I really enjoyed all aspects of the project, and this experience has reaffirmed my commitment to a career in research.

“I have a place on the cognitive neuroscience MSc in Swansea and I hope to use this course to

develop new skills which will prepare me for a PhD in a psychology/ neuroscience related field.”

“There was never really any question for

me that psychology was the course I

wanted to pursue”

Sebastian Whiteford

Dr Christoph WeidemannProject Supervisor

“Sebastian was one of our Erasmus exchange students and spent a year at the University of Mannheim in Germany where he took, among other things, an MSc-level module.

“He completed an ambi-tious final year project un-der my supervision where he investigated recognition memory for faces in indi-viduals with prosopagnosia (face blindness) and individ-uals with no deficits in face processing.

“In this project he not only looked at overt behaviour (e.g. whether research participants could remem-ber specific faces or not) but also investigated associated brain activity as measured with electro-encephalogram (EEG) recordings.”

Sebastian Whiteford


Hywel Dda Health BoardOutstanding Student Achievement Award

Awena JamesBN Adult NursingUpper Second Class Honours

Prof. Jasper, Awena James & Carole Bell

This award is presented to the student who, following nomination from their ward Sister or mentor, is deemed to have shown outstanding excellence in their final clini-cal placement.

In judging Awena to be the worthy recipient of this award, her mentor cited excellence in diffusing difficult situations; in passionately wanting to make a difference; and in her compassion and care for patients, who frequently stated that they genuinely missed Awena when she was not on duty.

“If I ever needed a nurse, Awena would be the first person I would like to see on a ward.”

Awena’s mentor

“I am overwhelmed and shocked at winning this award - I’m nearly speechless! I’m very

thankful, extremely happy and it’s the icing on the cake for me.”

“I’ve been so lucky to have had such lovely work placements

within Hywel Dda Health Board and I’ve always had the most

caring and supportive mentors. Gaining this award has made me and my family extremely happy.”

Awena James


Dr Mike MantinPhDEducational Experiences of Deaf Children in Wales: The Cambrian Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, 1847-1914

PhD student’s research reveals the history of deaf Swansea childrenA doctoral research student whose thesis has examined the history of the Cambrian Institu-tion for the Deaf and Dumb in Swansea has been awarded a PhD today (9 July).

Twenty five year old Mike Man-tin received his doctorate at a Degree and Award Congrega-tion for the University’s College of Human and Health Sciences, held in the City and County of Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall, Guild-hall.

Mike came to Swansea in 2009 with a First Class Honours De-gree in History from Bristol University. He had developed an interest in the history of disabled children as an undergraduate and wrote his dissertation on the Guide of Brave Poor Things. His research has subsequently informed a pamphlet and was featured on the Radio 4 series ‘Disability: A New History’ in May 2013 for which Dr David Turner of Swansea University acted as academic advisor.

Mike decided to research the his-tory of disabled children in Wales and identified the rich primary sources for the Cambrian Institu-tion for the Deaf and Dumb in

Swansea to produce his thesis entitled ‘Educational Experiences of Deaf Children in Wales: The Cambrian Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, 1847-1914’.

As well as his thesis, Mike has engaged in a wide range of activities and is learning sign language, has presented papers and organized a symposium for postgraduate and early career researchers.

Dr Mike Mantin

Prof. Anne BorsayDoctoral Supervisor

“It was this energy and enthusiasm, combined with his intellectual abilities, that led us to appoint Mike to a three-year research fellow-ship for the Wellcome Trust Programme Award, ‘Disability and Industrial Society: A Comparative Cultural History of British Coalfields, 1780-1948’

“He is part of a team of 12 researchers with particular responsibility for co-author-ing a monograph on dis-ability in the coal industry between 1880 and 1948, co-managing the website and co-developing an exhibition at the National Waterfront Museum.”“Swansea currently

has some of the most exciting research in disability history in the world and it was great to be part of it with my PhD studentship. I hugely enjoyed doing my PhD and met some great people whilst I was studying. I’m looking forward to continuing to contribute to the research com-munity here with my Research Fellowship position.”


“Don’t be afraid of seeking advice and

support from the tutors.

In my experience they are more than happy to

help anyone who has committed themselves to

study.”

Verity Walters

“I was delighted that the BPS awarded their prize to Verity, which was entirely deserved. Verity con-ducted her final year project with me, which was an extremely important piece of research that ex-amined the impact of respite care on the parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. This research study was one of the first to establish the clear need for the development of respite provision for this population. Moreover, Verity employed a very innovative method of electronically collecting data from a population that is often difficult to reach. A much deserved award for a very hard work-ing student!”

Professor Phil Reed, Project Supervisor

Winner of the British Psychological Society (Welsh Branch) Prize

Verity WaltersBSc Psychology

Upper Second Class Honours

In search of a new challenge, Verity, who had enjoyed social sciences in the past, decided to enrol on the Psychology course at Swansea University.

She said: “I thought that Psychology would be an interesting new avenue for me. Swansea University offered an excellent course from which I could choose aspects I found fascinating. There is a highly supportive network to assist all students in whatever they aim to achieve. This coupled with an attractive location and numerous extra-curricular activities, made Swansea an ideal choice for me.”

Alongside her studies, Verity became a project leader for Discovery, the student volunteer-ing service. She said: “I will never forget the responsibility of planning, and eventually taking, a coach full of underprivileged children and volunteers to Alton Towers. It was hugely successful.

“The most challenging aspect of the programme was managing the work/life balance - knowing how hard I needed to work whilst maintaining a healthy social life. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity for independent study, which allowed me to develop academically as well as personally and I would fully recom-mend studying psychology to anyone who relishes a challenge and is prepared to do more than the minimum.”

Verity now plans to compli-ment her degree with a Master’s qualification: “I am applying to study an MA in Ageing Studies at Swansea. I am keen to explore the positive aspects of ageing as well as the negative, and hope to develop a career from this in the future.”

Verity added: “Graduation is extremely important to me and to be told that on the same day I would receive a prize from the BPS has made me feel really proud and grateful to those who were responsible for me being chosen.”

Verity Walters


Hannah Price Jones

Dissertation of the Year in BSc Early Childhood Studies

First Class Honours

Hannah said: “When I attended the open day at Swansea University back in 2010 I was instantly impressed with the range of facilities offered at the University.

“I have always wanted to work with children and I felt that this degree programme would be a great foundation for a range of careers. I also wanted to further my knowledge and understanding of early childhood.

“At first I found that taking responsibility for my own

“Enjoy and make the

most of University

life.”

Hannah Price-Jones

studies challenging, but as a result this gave me the confidence I needed to do my own independent research.”

In fact, undertaking independent research was to become one of Hannah’s favourite elements of the course. “The course helped me to consider a range of perspectives held both by profession-als and parents that impact on children’s lives” she said.

“The BSc in Early Child-hood Studies has opened many doors for me with my career and it has also al-lowed me to understand the development and needs of young children. Further-more this degree has given me more confidence and a strong sense of pride.

“The past three years in university has been the most rewarding time of my life. My most memorable moment was when I was awarded a first in my dissertation. I have also enjoyed meeting new and interesting people.”

Hannah is now heading for further study on the MSc Play and Therapeutic Play course at Swansea University and aspires to complete a PHD in the future.

“Hannah has been award-ed the prize of dissertation of the year. Her dissertation explored influences on the development of speech and language in children from birth to 5 years.

“Her supervisor said: ‘It was an outstanding disser-tation, very well written and presented, demonstrating a very high level of knowledge, understanding and interest in the topic. She had researched the topic thoroughly and had read very widely, she drew on this to present a critical and interesting review of the key studies and theo-ries. Hannah’s enthusiasm for the topic, hard work, at-tention to detail and ability to synthesise knowledge was evident throughout the work’.”

Amy BrownProgramme Manager

At the Brangwyn Hall


For more photos from graduation, see our Facebook page

www.facebook.com/humanandhealth

HALL OF FAME

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