Graduating from Loughborough College with a First Class Honours degree tops a year of milestones for Stephanie Weyman.
Receiving the Leadership and Management BA (Hons) degree class as well as an award for Outstanding Academic Achievement is itself outstanding - but is all the more remarkable for having been achieved in a final year which also saw the 25 year old lead a team at work, buy her first home and get married.
“My family has been incredibly supportive but Loughborough College gave me the academic acknowledgement that proved just as vital. Having praise and reassurance as well as feedback from my teachers kept me motivated. There were times when I really doubted myself and getting that boost from them was exactly what I needed. I could not have kept going without it.
“It made an enormous difference to be in small classes at the College with so much one on one support – from my classmates too. People notice if you’re struggling and if you do good work.
“The later stages of my degree were challenging at times, with so many things on the go. My husband Ashley is completing an electrical engineering apprenticeship and worked days while I worked evenings, we were buying a house and planning our wedding. I’d also chased development at work and had become a team captain – but I decided to step back from that position. My goal was to achieve first class honours and I wanted to prioritise my degree, to focus on working as hard as I could.
“I really gave it my all, so when I found out I had been awarded a first I was so relieved, so thankful to everyone - over the moon.”
Loughborough College Management degree lead Iqbal Ullah added: “Stephanie was almost in a class of her own. Unwaveringly determined to achieve the highest standard in all of her work. She took advantage of every opportunity to access tutor support and was an absolute pleasure to teach - because she wanted to learn.”