Jack and Rosalynd are 2020 Students of the Year

Standout students Jack Scaife and Rosalynd Mair have been named as Shetland College UHI’s further education and higher education students of the year 2020.

Further education student of the year Jack, an NQ interactive media and computing student was commended for consistently performing well in class and he was always willing to work hard at new or tricky parts of the course. Jack continued to engage well during lockdown; remaining motivated and engaging with his peers in his role as Class Rep. Jack was also part of the Erasmus cohort which travelled to Voss, Norway, which was unfortunately cut short due to Covid-19.

Senior Computing Lecturer Euan Robertson who nominated Jack said: “Jack deserves to be our student of the year - great work effort, self-motivated, he communicated well and engaged with staff and the wider student group and college activities.  We look forward to him continuing onto our HNC Computing award”.

BA (Hons) contemporary textiles degree student Rosalynd received the higher education student of the year. A highly motivated student, Rosalynd’s well researched and presented written work is complemented by her extraordinary flair, imagination, and technical mastery of textile design. The difficult circumstances of the last few months with the Covid-19 saw her work well remotely from home, even going to the exceptional lengths of taking a heavy domestic knitting machine back to her family home in Glasgow on an airplane! In difficult circumstances she has sought to push the boundaries in her creative practice, delighting her tutors with innovative knitting, drawing on unusual and relevant current topics. Beside Rosalynd’s work ethic and technical expertise, she is an appreciative, helpful and supportive classmate.

Senior Creative and Cultural Industries lecturer Simon Clarke who nominated Rosalynd said:” “She has worked very well with mixed cohorts that included fine art students. More than being an unusually well-rounded interdisciplinary practitioner she is also a supportive peer to her classmates, bringing out the best in them. She is also fantastic towards the staff – a more appreciative and helpful student you could not wish to meet.”

Jack and Rosalyn will receive their Students of the Year certificates and cheques for £100 from University of the Highlands and Islands.  

Both are continuing their studies at Shetland College UHI with Jack moving onto the HNC computing and Rosalyn continuing on the contemporary textiles degree.

Jane Lewis, Principal Designate said “Well done to Jack and Rosalyn on being nominated and winning the student of the year award.  I feel this is a testament to our students’ resilience and hard work that, despite the global pandemic, they have succeeded in their studies. Jack and Rosalyn are continuing with their education at Shetland College UHI, we look forward to continuing to work with them and wish them all the best for their future”.