20 November 2024
The University of the Highlands and Islands celebrated the graduation of the first cohort from its BSc (Hons) optometry programme on 14 November.
The event was presided over by the university’s chancellor, Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal.
The university welcomed 600 guests to the graduation ceremony of more than 130 nursing and optometry students from its Inverness and Stornoway campuses.
The undergraduate optometry course, which launched in September 2020, is one of only two in Scotland and recently received full approval from the General Optical Council.
The ceremony at Eden Court began with a procession of the academic party led by macebearer, Dr Godwin Ovenseri-Ogbomo; a senior lecturer in optometry.
Awards recognising outstanding achievements were presented during the event.
The prize for the best student in advanced optometric studies, provided by the Brain Tumour Charity, was awarded to Rachel Milne from Inverurie.
Milne said: “I couldn’t be more grateful for the outstanding teaching and support I have received at UHI. It is a privilege to have so many experienced optometrists and lecturers share their knowledge and provide support to develop the foundation on which to build a successful career in optometry.”
“I’m proud of my achievements at UHI, and this award is a lovely way to have them recognised,” she said, adding: “I very much look forward to using my knowledge and skills that I’ve gained to care for patients in the community.”
Kiera Logan, from Glasgow, received the Prize for Excellence in Community Optometry sponsored by Specsavers, and the award for Best Overall Student Performance, sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers.
Logan commented: “I have found my time at university to be very unique, as it is not often you get to experience a small year group like we have. I am grateful to all the lecturers at UHI for their dedication to my education and supporting me through some tough years.”
“I feel very proud of myself for winning these two awards, as it shows that all the hard work I have put in has paid off,” she added.
Logan delivered the students’ vote of thanks at the end of the ceremony, describing the graduation as a “day of immense pride, accomplishment, and a touch of sadness as we bid farewell to this chapter of our lives.”
Thanking staff at the UHI Centre for Rural Health Sciences, Logan said: “Your dedication to our education and future careers in healthcare has been the guiding light that led us through the challenges and triumphs.”
Following the ceremony, graduates joined a traditional procession around Inverness Cathedral, led by piper and UHI Gaelic officer, DJ MacIntyre, before returning to Eden Court for a reception.
The university is now working towards the launch of the new optometry with independent prescribing MOptom programme, which will start in autumn 2025.
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