Graduation ceremonies begin at Caird Hall

Around 1,000 graduands celebrate their success

The first of Dundee University’s winter graduation ceremonies were held yesterday, as graduands and their families descended on City Square.

Two of the three ceremonies took place, with the remaining event due this morning.

Around 1,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students will have graduated across the three ceremonies.

They are held for students whose courses finish after the traditional summer graduation.

One such graduate, Jonathan De Vries, moved from America to study his own country’s history. Quickly establishing himself as a star student in the American history masters, the 35-year-old has now obtained a PhD in the subject.

Jonathan also met his future wife Jennifer at the university.

Jennifer, a nursery teacher who was studying at the time, accompanied Jonathan to his graduation.

Things could have turned out very differently for the couple had a very simple gesture not persuaded Jonathan that his future lay in Dundee.

“I had completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and had already decided to study in Scotland,” he said.

“I had offers from several universities but as soon as I applied here I was given a Dundee email address.

“It felt as if I already belonged at the university and we had an established connection.”

From left: Daniel, 9, Claire, Steven and Alanis Campbell, 10, from Lochee, Dundee, outside the Caird Hall. Claire graduated in Neuroscience.