Carol Hunter with her Student of the Year award.
Fife College Student President, Carol Hunter, is jumping for joy after winning a Highly Commended award in the Student of the Year category at a national college awards ceremony organised by College Development Network (CDN).
Hosted by Sally Magnusson, the prestigious awards, held at the Radisson Blu hotel in Glasgow on Thursday 25 October, recognised the best of talent, skills and achievements of colleges throughout Scotland, their staff and learners.
Carol is certainly a great example of this and picked up the award for her dedication, drive and passion in her roles as Women’s Officer, Care Experienced Officer, volunteer with the Fife College Students’ Association (FCSA) and in her work with the Boards of both Fife College and the Adam Smith Foundation. Carol was recognised for the fantastic work she has carried out on behalf of the College’s students and in particular those from a care experienced background.
Carol, who graduated this year from Fife College with an HND in Social Sciences, is herself care experienced and so helping and supporting others from a similar background and being a good role model are important to her.
In June this year Carol was thrilled to be elected Student President for Education and Representation. Carol was well aware of, and recognised the need for, the FCSA to introduce a remit for Care Experienced Officers and as part of the early stages in her new role, Carol herself became the first FCSA Care Experienced Officer. She supported and mentored two other care experienced students to also become Care Experienced Officers, encouraging them both to become more active members of the FCSA, benefiting care experienced students at the College and the student body as a whole.
Carol has also worked extensively with the College’s Corporate Parent Action Group and alongside her fellow Care Experienced Officers, has created ‘The KEV Project’ – a microsite within the FCSA’s online site which care experienced students can use to meet and talk to each other. She has devised and ran a creative writing competition for students called ‘Turning Point’ and represents student on various college boards to ensure that the student voice is heard.
Alongside her studies, Carol also managed to clock up 215 voluntary hours last academic year, a remarkable achievement given the demands of her full-time course. On top of this, she has three young sons aged six, five, and one.
Said Carol: “I am really thrilled to receive Highly Commended in the Student of the Year category which is a great honour. This has been a fantastic year for me - I became Student President, passed my HND in Social Sciences, won an award from the FCSA for Outstanding Performance and began studying for a BA(Hons) Social Sciences with the Open University. Winning this award is the cherry on the cake to what has been a fantastic year.
“This amazing award win, alongside the experience I am gaining as a student president and my qualifications, will hopefully enable me to secure a great career in the future which supports people coping with the effects of adoption and difficult transitions in life.
“I would like to thank my colleagues in the FCSA, especially fellow Student President, Jen Anderson, and all my friends at Fife College for their continued support and encouragement.”
Hugh Hall, Principal of Fife College, congratulated Carol on her win. Said Hugh: “When it comes to dedication to study, care for fellow classmates and great ideas to support and inspire others, Carol has this in abundance, and so it’s no surprise to her colleagues and friends at Fife College that she has achieved this fantastic award. Carol is a very deserving winner and we are delighted that she is part of the Fife College team. On behalf of everyone at Fife College I would like to congratulate Carol on this fantastic achievement.”
The Student of the Year category was one of 11 categories at the event which brought together staff from colleges throughout the country and representatives from the Scottish education sector.
Fife College was delighted to also find success in three other categories. It was overall winner in the Inclusive College category and received Highly Commended awards in Essential Skills and Marketing and Communications.
