Featured – Page 2 – WEST

Husband and Wife Duo Graduate Together from UWS

16Jul

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Alumni Stories, Featured

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 Faiza 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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Alumni Stories, Featured

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...

14Jul

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Alumni Stories, Featured

Mother and Daughter Graduation Success

A family celebrated a double success at the UWS Graduation ceremonies at Paisley Abbey in July, with mother and daughter graduating together in the summer. Nicola and Kendall Kane Nicola and Kendall Kane, from Kilmarnock, both completed their undergraduate degree programmes at UWS, with mum Nicola from the Events Management degree and daughter Kendall earning her degree in Sports Coaching and Development. Kendall, who has applied for postgraduate study at UWS, said: “Graduating at the same time as my mum made the achievement even more meaningful and it’s a memory we’ll always cherish. “Studying at UWS has been such a positive experience and it’s given me the knowledge and confidence to follow my goal of becoming a primary teacher. “I’m looking forward to continuing my journe...

Eight Influential Figures Honoured by UWS at Summer Graduations

13Jul

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Featured, Honorary Graduates

Eight Influential Figures Honoured by UWS at Summer Graduations

The University is delighted to welcome eight incredible individuals into the UWS family who were recognised as part of our summer graduations. Jean Johansson, Laura Montgomery & Carol Anne Stewart, Fiona Campbell MBE, Paul Andrew, Manira Ahmad, Brian Cannon and Evelyn McDonald were given Honorary Doctorates as part of the University’s graduation ceremonies in July at Paisley Abbey. https://vimeo.com/1213268064 Their leadership, innovation and service have made a lasting impact across a diverse range of fields and each of them have forged strong connections with our University’s communities. They each exemplify the values, ambition and civic commitment that lie at the heart of UWS. Evelyn McDonald, CEO of business funding enterprise, Scottish Edge. Tuesday 7 July 2pm. ...

Shaping Strategy, Driving Change: Meet Alumna Kirsty Gaudet

1Jul

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Featured, Profiles

Shaping Strategy, Driving Change: Meet Alumna Kirsty Gaudet

In this alumni profile we speak to Kirsty Gaudet, an accomplished senior executive with extensive experience in global operations, strategic planning and sales enablement based in Switzerland. Lanarkshire born Kirsty graduated in 2000 with a BA (Hons) in Business Economics. Kirsty Gaudet BA (Hons) Business Economics (2000) Could you tell us a bit about your current role with Nexthink? I am the Revenue Operations strategic business partner for EMEA at Nexthink, a high growth SaaS company. In practical terms, my role is about driving growth through strategic planning for sales and other go to market teams, and continuous improvement through data, process and technology. It's a role that spans teams and combines strategy and execution, which keeps things interesting - no two days loo...

Graduate Has Falkirk Landmarks Lit Up in Honour of Scottish Charity

30Jun

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Alumni Stories, Featured

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...

ITV Announce UWS Graduate as Reporter For World Cup

12Jun

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Alumni Stories, Featured

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...

Major Recognition of Tobacco Control Work for UWS Graduate

2Jun

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Alumni Stories, Featured

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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Alumni Stories, Featured

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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Alumni Stories, Featured

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...