Alumni Stories – WEST

Husband and Wife Duo Graduate Together from UWS

16Jul

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Husband and Wife Duo Graduate Together from UWS

Husband and wife Fahim Baqir and Faiza Baqir, celebrate graduating together at a ceremony in Paisley Abbey during Summer graduation. Both Fahim and Fazia graduated from the BA Business and Leadership course, delivered in partnership with New College Lanarkshire, returning to education after years focusing on family, running businesses, and serving their community. Fahim Baqir and Faiza Baqir Fahim commented: "One year ago, Faiza and I made the decision to return to university in our later lives. "It hasn’t been an easy journey balancing family, work, community commitments and studying, but every late night and every assignment has been worth it.” Fahim, who was this year appointed as Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, is a Scottish entrepreneur, community leader, and cha...

Dad’s Dementia Journey Inspires Alzheimer Scholarship Student Graduating

15Jul

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Dad’s Dementia Journey Inspires Alzheimer Scholarship Student Graduating

A student inspired to pursue a dementia research scholarship after his father's diagnosis has graduated at Paisley Abbey. Connor McDonald is the first recipient of the Dr Wendy Baxter Legacy Scholarship and has graduated from University of the West of Scotland after completing his pioneering PhD research to improve the experiences of families visiting loved ones with dementia in care homes. Connor was driven to undertake the scholarship after caring for his father, Danny, who lives with early onset vascular dementia. His PhD explored how family members can be better supported to spend meaningful time with relatives living with advanced dementia. Connor said his own family's experience inspired him to pursue the research: "This is an area very close to my heart as I am currently a...

Graduate Has Falkirk Landmarks Lit Up in Honour of Scottish Charity

30Jun

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Graduate Has Falkirk Landmarks Lit Up in Honour of Scottish Charity

Campaigner and University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate Kerry Reid has helped to shine a light on the impact of drugs and alcohol on communities and their families, by having the Kelpies and Falkirk Wheel illuminated. Kerry who graduated from UWS in 2022 arranged for iconic landmarks in Falkirk to be lit up on Monday 22nd June 2026 in honour of Charity Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs and the families they support. Aligning with Scottish Families Week, the light was a message of hope for families seen and unseen. Kerry commented: “My degree in Community Education at UWS helped shape my passion for supporting people, communities and creating positive change, and through my own experience, I have seen the importance of the support that Scottish Families...

Alumni Join the Tartan Army Ranks in Boston

18Jun

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Alumni Join the Tartan Army Ranks in Boston

With World Cup fever well underway, we reached out to some alumni that have made Boston their home to find out what the locals make of the famous Tartan Army! Modern Languages Teacher Chris Hegarty, who graduated with a PGDE in 2023 and moved to Boston in 2025, was at Scotland’s first game against Haiti and has tickets for Scotland’s next opponents Morocco on Friday 19th June. “The Tartan Army have been completely infectious here and Bostonians are falling in love with them. Here at the British International School of Boston, we had members of the SFA in this week giving an assembly to our lower and middle school students, teaching them songs like "Ye Canny Shove Yer Granny Aff A Bus" and "Yes Sir I Can Boogie". It was an incredible assembly, and it left a big mark on our young stude...

ITV Announce UWS Graduate as Reporter For World Cup

12Jun

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ITV Announce UWS Graduate as Reporter For World Cup

ITV Sport has included a University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate as part of their line-up for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Connie McLaughlin, a well-respected presenter and journalist known for her work reporting across BBC, ITV, Premier Sports and TNT Sports, will be reporting pitch-side at the tournament for ITV. A graduate from the postgraduate degree in broadcast journalism at UWS, Connie will be taking a break from her presenting duties on BBC Radio Scotland’s Mornings phone-in show to follow and report on the Scotland men’s team as they take on Haiti, Morocco and Brazil in the World Cup. Connie commented on social media: “Still pinching myself…but so excited to be part of the team covering the World Cup 2026 for ITV Sport. "I’ll be following Scotland out in North Ca...

Radio and TV Presenter Giving Behind the Scenes Look at the Scotland Camp

3Jun

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Radio and TV Presenter Giving Behind the Scenes Look at the Scotland Camp

A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) alumnus is working with the Scotland National Team to create exclusive content, record player interviews and give fans a peek behind the scenes at the World Cup. Broadcast journalism graduate Gordon Duncan, who is well known as the host of the long running Clyde 1 Superscoreboard football phone in show and as a presenter on Sky Sports, has been working with the Scottish FA to produce content for its YouTube channel and social media channels. Gordon Duncan PgDip Broadcast Journalism (2012) Gordon has been giving viewers an insight into the Scotland camp with his daily round-up series and the activities that take place in between training and games. He has also interviewed Scotland captain Andy Robertson, John McGinn, Lawrence Shankland and...

Sport Graduate Lands Role with FIFA and Swedish National Team

3Jun

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Sport Graduate Lands Role with FIFA and Swedish National Team

A graduate from the Sport Coaching degree programme at University of the West of Scotland (UWS) is working at the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament as a liaison officer for Sweden men’s national football team. Ross Keenan BSc Sport Coaching (2014) Ross Keenan, who has been based in the USA since graduation from UWS in 2014, is relishing the temporary role. “Living in Atlanta, the opportunity to go watch the world's biggest football tournament was an exciting prospect, however I could never have imagined that I would have been this closely involved in the World Cup and essentially part of a European team’s delegation!” commented Ross. The Liaison Officer role is something Ross has previous experience of when he was living and studying in Scotland. “I actually used to do this type of r...

Major Recognition of Tobacco Control Work for UWS Graduate

2Jun

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Major Recognition of Tobacco Control Work for UWS Graduate

A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate and Co-Director of Tobacco Control Research Group at University of Bath has been recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) for his decade of work to combat the tobacco epidemic. Dr Allen Gallagher BA (Hons) Social Science and MSc Drug & Alcohol Studies Dr Allen Gallagher, Co-Director of and research fellow within the Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG) at University of Bath, has been named as a recipient of the 2026 World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) Award. This award honours individuals who have demonstrated outstanding effort and leadership in combating the tobacco epidemic. Allen began his academic journey at UWS graduating with a BA (Hons) in social sciences in 2014 followed by a MSc in drug and alcohol studies in...

Alumnus Appointed CEO of UK Semiconductor Centre

1Jun

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Alumnus Appointed CEO of UK Semiconductor Centre

The UK Semiconductor Centre (UKSC) has appointed a University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate as its first Chief Executive Officer to deliver on its vision of establishing the UK as a global leader in semiconductors by accelerating scale-up, investment and commercial growth across the sector. Andy McLean BSc Electrical and Electronic Engineering (1986) Graduating in 1986 with a BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Andy Mclean has returned to the UK after an extensive career in the US, which included senior leadership roles at Analog Devices, Texas Instruments and National Semiconductor, to take up the role at UKSC in May 2026. Commenting on his time studying in Paisley, Andy said: "I am immensely grateful to the faculty and staff at Paisley College of Technology (n...

Research Finds VR Sign Language Used by Deaf Gamers

26May

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Research Finds VR Sign Language Used by Deaf Gamers

A graduate and current PhD student from the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has led a study on the experiences of deaf people in VR social spaces as part of her postgraduate degree and revealed that members of the deaf community have created a ‘virtual sign language’ specifically for accessing VR technology. The findings, shared by BSc (Hons) Computer Games Development graduate Lara McIntyre, highlight VR headsets’ ‘incompatibility’ with BSL - a visual-spatial language used by 87,000 deaf people in the UK, which uses a mix of hand shapes, facial expressions, lip patterns and body language to convey meaning. It shows some deaf people who actively use VR as a means of socialising with other gamers are adapting by creating a new form of sign language, called virtual reality...