Monica Faulkner - MSc Applied Psychology
Monica Faulkner (46) crossed the virtual stage of Robert Gordon University鈥檚 graduation celebration in front of a global audience of peers, alumni and family to accept her MSc in Applied Psychology on Friday 4 December.
鈥淎s a single mum of three lovely girls鈥攖wo teenagers, and a soon to be teenager鈥擨 am hugely proud of myself,鈥� said Monica.
Family responsibilities and a pandemic weren鈥檛 the only obstacles that Monica had to overcome to succeed in her studies. She unfortunately and suddenly, suffered from a chronic medical condition in her first year.
Monica adds: 鈥淚 had just started and was in year one, almost at the end of term one when I fell ill. I didn鈥檛 recover fully until the end of my first year. I also had family problems at that time, therefore, I am immensely proud of myself that I could finish on schedule with no resits.鈥�
As a self-employed consultant and qualified coach, Monica showed great resilience and self-determination in the face of her challenges and the pandemic鈥攏ot just for her learning journey, but for her career as well.
鈥淚 was working alongside my studies,鈥� said Monica. 鈥淏ut, to help me through the pandemic, I could actually furlough myself as I am self-employed. It gave me more time to dedicate to my master's.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to study psychology鈥攁nd wanted to do it for my first degree, but ended up with BA in Business, then a Masters in Human Resource Management, and now finally I have my Psychology degree!鈥�
Monica enjoyed the online learning elements of the course as it resonated with her nature as a true self-starter.
鈥淚 could do all the lectures in my own time,鈥� said Monica. 鈥淚 really enjoyed my dissertation and the self-learning around it. The course was both an inspiration and a distraction from everything that was going on. It was my time to invest in myself and enjoy the learning.鈥�
The next steps for Monica are to take a break from studying, after her trio of degrees and overcoming the many challenges of 2020.
Monica adds: 鈥淚 will take a break, but only for a year or two. I love studying and learning new things. I am the eternal student!
鈥溠遣┨逵偻� is a good university with an excellent reputation, which will definitely move me forward with everything I鈥檝e learned."