More success stories from graduation ceremonies

03 October 2012

On the afternoon of Monday 11 July, LJMU students from the Schools of Built Environment and Computing and Mathematical Sciences celebrated becoming graduates.

Gary Jones graduates with a First Class in Information Systems.

"I left the Royal Marines in 2004 and found myself in a number of different jobs which I found less than inspiring. So in 2006 I decided that I needed a more challenging and rewarding career and that returning to education would be the best way for me to achieve that goal. I first spent a year college and then started University in 2007. I chose LJMU because of its strong emphasis on preparing students for the world of work, and in particular the placement year. Now after spending four years at LJMU I now have my dream job at Hewlett-Packard as a Technology Consultant. I believe that the focus on providing students with both the practical skills and theoretical knowledge required by industry played a pivotal role in my success, both academically and professionally."

Hannah Thompson BSc (Hons) IT and Multimedia Computing won the British Computer Society prize for the highest scoring student in the School.

"My student experience has been great. It has provided with me numerous skills and abilities, as well as great knowledge in IT which has prepared me for the path I wish to pursue my career in as an IT Project Manager. I never experienced the typical student life as I studied whilst living at home with my parents as opposed to in student accommodation which I think provided me with an advantage in my studies, in that I was not persuaded to socialise every night. It allowed me to ‘get my head down’ a lot more, and put great concentration into my studies. My student experience has also allowed me to develop my communication skills as I have met a lot of new individuals’ of which some I have remained friends with today.
As much as I enjoyed being a student, I have been desperate to get back into the ‘world of work’ since carrying out my placement year in order to put my skills and knowledge into practice. Since studying at LJMU, I have gained numerous skills and developed others. These skills have mostly been developed throughout my placement year which I carried out at the Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust where I managed numerous projects."

Image of David Roberts (right) and Nigel Xerri (left) Nigel Xerri gained a First Class degree in Civil Engineering (BEng Hons) and was awarded the Clancy Consulting Prize.

"I have had a great student experience, I have met many wonderful people on my course who were all extremely motivated and outgoing like myself and thus have made both my academic experience and LJMU student life a great time. I have achieved many new skills like intense problem solving and working together in a groups where managing work and setting target priorities have been a must to attain a good grade at all times. I have also developed further skills like oral presentations especially enhancing my confidence when speaking in front of large audiences. In general it has been a long 3 year path where I have learnt many useful academic skills revolving around the construction management and engineering areas."

David Roberts Civil Engineering (BEng Hons) also received the United Utilities Design Group Prize.

"I achieved a first class honors degree. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at LJMU, where I have studied for the past 3 years. I feel as though I have gained a variety of skills not just with regards to the subject that I studied but also interpersonal skills. It is through LJMU that I have been given the opportunity to progress my chosen career path and develop the relative skills required to become a chartered engineer in the future. Some of the skills I have learnt include various mathematical disciplines and the ability to use sound scientific knowledge to help solve a variety of engineering problems. Not only this but the ability to clearly define an issue or problem and then achieve the solution by working closely with my peers. I hope that in the future this will help me progress through my career - I now have a place on a MSc Engineering Project Management course at another university which is another rung on the ladder towards me successfully achieving chartered engineer status."

Image of Henry Forsyth and Gary Jones LJMU's Dr Henry Forsyth gained a PhD in Autonomic Computing which involved research into artificial intelligence. He was also Gary Jones's Project Tutor.