An agriculture student who started her career as a beauty therapist, is among 650 students graduating from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) today (Friday, July 5).

Mum-of-two Katie Dubarry, 34, will graduate with a first-class honours degree in Agriculture at SRUC’s summer graduation ceremony at the University of Glasgow’s Bute Hall.

She is one of a record 16 graduands achieving a first-class honours degree this year in subjects ranging from Agriculture, Rural Business Management and Environmental Resource Management, to Applied Animal Science, Horticulture, and Garden and Greenspace Design.

Katie, who is originally from Lichfield, in Staffordshire, but now lives in Edinburgh, worked as a beauty therapist in France but became disillusioned with the job when she moved back to the UK.

“I wanted to learn about how we can live more sustainably, how we produce the things we do and how we consume things,” said Katie. “All of these thought processes combined into an interest in farming and the ways people work the land, but I didn’t know the first thing about it.”

Five years after starting on the National Certificate course at SRUC’s Oatridge campus, she is graduating with a BSc degree from the Edinburgh campus and – after taking a year out to represent SRUC as vice-president of the Student Association – is interested in continuing to PhD level.

“After the first year, I was hooked,” she said. “As I have worked through, I have discovered all about other aspects I had no idea were part of agriculture.”

More than 250 graduands will be awarded degrees, masters degrees and postgraduate certificates and diplomas at a ceremony in the afternoon, following awards to 400 Higher National Certificate (HNC) and Diploma (HND) students in the morning.

Jez Robinson, who is enjoying a change of career after nearly 30 years in the Army, is graduating with a Masters in Agricultural Professional Practice from SRUC’s Aberdeen campus.

After the opportunity arose to take over his family’s estate in Perthshire, the 48-year-old decided that getting an appropriate qualification was an important first step. He studied the course over three years, managing to juggle the first year of college with his final year in the Army – on a posting to Afghanistan.

“SRUC was a good option as it offered me the flexibility I needed with distance learning,” he said.

Among the students graduating with a HND is Professional Cookery student, Sara-Jayne Strachan, who returned to SRUC’s Elmwood campus 10 years after gaining a HNC.

The 30-year-old is gaining experience in the industry by working as a stagiaire – or unpaid intern – with top chefs around the country. Having worked in Tom Kitchin's eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant in Edinburgh, she has another opportunity lined up at Tom Kerridge's The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, in September, and also hopes to work at the Peat Inn, in Fife; Restaurant Gordon Ramsay; and Restaurant Andrew Fairlie.

“It is my dream to work in as many of the best kitchens in this country as I can and then pass that knowledge onto the next generation of eager young chefs,” she said.

In his address to graduands, Wayne Powell, principal and chief executive of SRUC, said: “I firmly believe that SRUC people are different. They have guts and a commitment that inspires them to make a difference, to drive forward their respective industries and make an impact.”

And ... the full list from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) summer graduation 2019 on Friday, July 5, at Bute Hall, in Glasgow.

Bachelor of Arts in Rural Business Management

Pass – Anna Christine Elizabeth Merchant, Nicole Isabella Rose, Ethan Tomlinson,

Pass with distinction – Silvia Elva Browne, Jody Cains, Aislinn Campbell, Emma Campbell, Stephanie Margaret Campbell, Paula Joanne Katrina Canning, Sacha-Lee Laing, Bradley Kyle Manktelow, Michelle Smith, Megan Jane Thomson

Pass with merit – Samantha Bown, Fraser James Galloway, Kirsten Victoria Glen, K A R Paterson, John George Sinclair, Maggie Todd, Agnes Thomson Wilson

with First Class Honours – Mary Anna McKenzie Bowman, Rebecca Kathryn Bradley, Rose Ellen Nash, Shannon ODonnell, Nicole Hannah Wilson

with Second Class Honours – Lower Division – Lesley Elizabeth Donald, Ryan Thomas Flynn, Jake A Johnstone, Olivia Ebony Khan, Nikki McLean, Carolann F McPhillimy, Tarran Eve Ross, Hannah M Smith, Kaitlin E Spence

with Second Class Honours – Upper Division – Saher Ali, Elizabeth Rose Cassidy, Grant Alexander Connor, Sarah Rae Farquhar, Kirstin A Hornby, Amy Laird, Bruce McBay Law, Mairi Macdonald, Julia Ellen McKinlay, Alicia Carron McTavish, Lauren I C Miller, Kate Mary Mitchell, C L Norbury, Claire S Rhind, Victoria Isabella Skye Robb, Fiona C Thomson, Alasdair Gregor Watson, Kirsty Margaret Wilson, Zoë L Wilson, Anastasia Elizabeth Young,

with Third Class Honours – Danielle Whitelaw

Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Bioscience

Pass – Robbie G Stevenson

Pass with distinction – Scott James Anderson, Zoe Bryson

Pass with merit – Arthur Allan Gordon, Kerry Hewitt, Lauren Jane MacDonald, Catherine Ann Pringle, Emma Elizabeth Campbell Wilson

with Second Class Honours – Lower Division – Chloe Mae Melville, James Hardie Millar, Hannah Jane Penman, Katherine Sherry

Bachelor of Science in Agriculture

Pass – Logan Gammie, Keely Carron Mitchell, Robert J Ramsay

Pass with distinction – Anna-Louise Danielle Fraser, Louise Greenhill, Alanna Megan Leslie, Joseph Milligan, Amy Louise Stirling

Pass with merit – Ewan W Barr, Holly Alexandra Bell, Daniel S Black, Aimee Johan Budge, William John Cumming, Callum Dunlop, Alistair Graham Forbes, Sam W J Greenlees, Susanna Aino Kaarina Johnston, Donald John MacAskill, Tom C Martin, Emma M McAlister, Ryan Greggan Parker, Findlay Brendan Reade, Callum James Reid, James Bowie Mitchell Ronald, Adam Thomas Smellie, Peter Smith, Matthew Walker, Hamish Whyte

with First Class Honours – Kerry A Cartwright, Frances Margaret Cuthill, Katie McDougall Dubarry

with Second Class Honours – Lower Division – Blythe Margaret Aitken, Lynne Lambie Carrick, Calum George Donald, Alistair Farquhar Grant, Campbell Alan Harvie, Matthew David Gardiner Kerr, Aodhan Michael Little, Craig Thomson Mitchell, Keith James Norris, Christopher Michael Richard Warden

with Second Class Honours – Upper Division – Andrea Bosio, Ian Andrew Robert Buchanan, Hollie M Cruikshank, Findlay Wallace Kinloch, Iain Thomas Logan, Iona Valerie Macpherson, Fraser Alistair Melrose, Steven Greig Menzies, Laura Ann Milne, Rebecca Emily Nixon, James Orr, Peter Alan Stewart

with Third Class Honours – John La Combre

Bachelor of Science in Applied Animal Science

Pass with distinction – Kimberley L Rae

Pass with merit – Euan Adam Orr, Aidan Kristofer Watt, Evie Wilson

with First Class Honours – Annie Moira Bryson, Jennifer Hart

with Second Class Honours – Lower Division – Laurie Ronan Cook, Sarah Ghavabesh

with Second Class Honours – Upper Division – Sophie Marion Brown, Emma Croal, Khyla Victoria Mclatchie Dempsey, Nina Zuzanna Domalazek, Rachel Louise Gateley, Abbie Greer, Victoria R Malcolm, Amy McCombes, Aleksandra Malwina Rzepka, Holly Grace Smith, Alize J F Tendero-Schild, Abigail Robyn Thomson

Bachelor of Science in Countryside Management

Pass – Stuart David English

with Second Class Honours – Lower Division – Eilidh Joan Player, Lewis Jonathan Barr, J Cook, Daniel Jacob Coursey, Daniel McLaughlin, Robyn Morrison

with Second Class Honours – Upper Division – K Dickie, Rebekah Jennifer Marshall, Tobayus Samudra Welsh

with Third Class Honours – Dorothy J Craig

Bachelor of Science in Environmental Resource Management

Pass – Thomas Owen Cole

Pass with merit – George Farrell

with First Class Honours – Sophie Jean Christman, Jane Gibson

with Second Class Honours – Lower Division – Christie Findlay, Nicola Bryce Howie, Marianne Helen Murphy

with Second Class Honours – Upper Division – John Robert Anderson, Rian Hugh Stanley Cook, Amanda Elizabeth Forster, Rose Caitlin Olivia Morgan Freeman, Ewan Andrew Glendinning, Susannah Jennings, Christine Elizabeth Judd, David Kelly, Millicent Violet Parks, Katriona Lucy Proudfoot, Julia Skala, Cameron Marc Stewart Watkins

with Third Class Honours – Madeleine Rosemary Bell, Andrew Peter Sinclair

Bachelor of Science in Garden and Greenspace Design

Pass with distinction – Georgina Bennett

with First Class Honours – Kayoko Takezawa

with Second Class Honours – Upper Division – Veronika Svatosova, Heath Glen Urquhart

Bachelor of Science in Green Technology

with Second Class Honours – Upper Division – Sheila Mary Gow, Cameron William McCririe

Bachelor of Science in Horticulture

Pass with distinction – Aidynn Allison Ballard, Daniel Miller

Pass with merit – Hayden Halley, Stuart Robert Leith, Cecile Sacrez, Sean Anthony Stevenson

with First Class Honours – Silvia Anna Christina Divine

with Second Class Honours – Lower Division – Peter Connell, Catriona McAndrew Malcolm-Brown, Sean James Paul Murphy

with Second Class Honours – Upper Division – G J Bissett

Bachelor of Science in Horticulture with Plantsmanship

Pass with distinction – Hazel France

with Second Class Honours – Lower Division – Thomas Edward Hawkes, Mairead Masterson, Caitlin Elizabeth Robinson, Elliot Murray Williamson

with Second Class Honours – Upper Division – Daniel J R Hulson, Anton Thøger Skovrind Pedersen, Seth Oakley Ratcliffe, Rory Alexander Shiells

Bachelor of Science in Renewables and Environmental Technology

Pass with distinction – Andrew Connor

Higher National Certificate in Agriculture

Pass – Matthew Adam, Ross Thomas Boyd, Keri Leanne Caldwell, Alexander Charles Cook, Mia May Farquhar, Ewan Stewart Findlay, Jack Grant Forman, Callum Fotheringham, Stuart Fraser Greig, Karla Hardie, Peter Joseph Kelly, Beth Janet Owen Llewellyn, Kirsteen Margaret MacKinnon, Connie Macrae, Claire Matheson, Sophie McCarlie, John Robert McCulloch, Robbie Meikle, Fraser James Muir, Zoe Newns, Kerri F Riddell, Ewan T Robb, Harry Sleigh, Emily Louise Smiles, Kyle Steel, Laura Yseulte Warrender, Callum M Watson, Emma Wharton

Pass with distinction – Rebecca Blackburn, Ben Chelley, Katie Joanne Jackson, Jaquelin Mollie Anne Mundell

Pass with merit – Scott Dey, Erin Jacquie Marshall, Edward Grant Martin, Morgan Reynolds, Emma Kristen Rose Scott, Aili Andrea Tamayo-Lopez, Callum Gordon Wright

Higher National Certificate in Animal Care

Pass – Kellie-Jane Bartkus, Bryony Charlesworth-Martin, Megan Eve Corsie, Nadine Evans, Erin Elizabeth Ann Gallacher, Chloe Hamilton, Rebecca Hattie, Jade Henderson, Erin Elizabeth Johnstone, Jordan Louise Keddie, Lucy Marie Lansley, Matthew Christopher Lee, Nicola Lyon, Alexandra Maguire, Leanne Murray, Carly Peters, Jade Louise Ramsay, Heather Shaw, Shannon Rose Smillie, Natasha Louise Sutherland, Deirdre M F Williamson, Agata Joanna Wysocka

Pass with distinction – Carol Abbott, Sophie Anderson, Kirsty Baker, Kirsty Barnett, Megan Mary Baxter, Holly E Brown, Rebecca Brown, Emily Cattanach, Helen E Chadfield, Emma Margaret Clark, Courtney Craig, Sara Davidson, Lisa Jane Donaldson, Molly Gillies, Allana Grant, Malcolm James Haddow, Leah Hunter, Nicole A P Kirkbride, Sasha Lennie, Hannah Mayr, Emma McCluskey, Lorn McDougall, Gemma Mckechnie, Hana Sophie Muir, Jane Muirhead, Abbie Munro, Connor Pattison, Lucy Rattray, Mark Robertson, Rachel Robertson, Jemma Louise Shields, Rachel Somerset, Amy Veronica Strang, Katarzyna Tecza, Vicky Thomason, Claire Thomson, Abigail Sophie Watters, Matthew W Wood

Pass with merit – Zoe Nicola Ainslie, Morgan Cassidy, Laura Drysdale, Lauren Meg Ellison, Abby Elizabeth Fraser, Amy Greenan, Nadja May Horrocks, Jenniferlouise McDonald, Rachel Anne McDougall, Rebecca Jane McDougall, Debbie Robertson, Isla Elizabeth Jean Robertson, Amy Ross, Elke Runge, Ryan Smith, Kim Steele, Ailee Frances Strachan, Dyane Sutherland, Leyla Tecelli, Laura Louise Thomson, Cherie Mae Walker, Erin Elizabeth Williams, Christopher Peter Yacomine

Higher National Certificate in Biosciences

Pass – Rowan Martha Kerr

Pass with distinction – Bianca Betts

Pass with merit – Curtis Daniel Megwa

Higher National Certificate in Countryside and Environmental Management

Pass – Imogen Alisha Atkinson, Michael John Hendry

Pass with distinction – LC Cloonan, Marie OM Gobert, Yvonne Hartley-Smith, Charlotte Martin, Elspeth Mary Nash, Miguel Paredes Bandres, Sarah Plint, Hanna Elizabeth Rennie, Hugo Patricio Romero Paredes, Filipp Solovjov, Mafaldina Vaina, Claire Wallace, Julie Watson

Pass with merit – Jenny Aitkenhead, Ali Boyle, Lucy Elizabeth Cummings, Isabelle Flora Drexler, Scott Edwards, Arran Michael Benjamin Hewlett, Callum MacLeod, Murray Panton, Robert Pinkerton, Darren Priest, Innes Summersgill

Higher National Certificate in Equine Studies

Pass – Hope Dawn Smith, Léa Vassort-Sanches

Pass with distinction – Jade R Anderson, Aimee Carr, Olivia Armstrong Cochrane, Keira Forsythe, Chloe Lusk, Alisha Murray, Leah Ann Murray, Lauryn Penman, Sarah Robertson, Victoria Anne Escreet Shirlaw, Heather Sutherland, Pavlina Veverkova, Linda Wallace, Dana Maria Ward

Pass with merit – Chloe K Baxter, Rachael Leigh Dunsmuir, Laura Christina Graham, Rachel Elizabeth Sutherland

Higher National Certificate in Garden Design

Pass with distinction – Harriet Fawcett, Finulla McCloskey, Jordan Fraser Wilson

Higher National Certificate in Golf Course Management

Pass – Jon Alexander Burnett

Pass with distinction – Mark Behan, Richard Coomber, Thomas Coulson, David Coyle, Graham Down, Matthew Joseph Gallagher, Keith Douglas Grahame, Reece Jay Haspell, Hristo Iliev, Ricky Jakes, Christopher Jones, Ephraim Kibuguh, Thomas Kilby, Theis Dirch Kristensen, Francis David Brendan Hadley Lesser, Fabien Maisonny, Kyle McClung, James McMurdo, Gerard J Rowlands, Sandie Niall, Frank Schafer, Ólafur Dór Steindórsson

Pass with merit – Tod Bannerman, Niall Charles Bruce, Luis Manuel Cruz Marin, Hendry Rheeders, Farzad Shikhi Sheni

Higher National Certificate in Horticulture

Pass – Alison Cairns, Cara Docherty, Euan Shelley, Helen Watterson, Jonathan Richard Wilmanski, Jacqueline Wood

Pass with distinction – John Matthew Andrew, Jessica Black, Calum Campbell, Naomi Jane Lean, Anson MacDonald, Samuel James Macdonald, Ruth Mackie, Matteo Pili, Allan Smith, Conor Whelan

Pass with merit – Jo Blackburn, James Patrick Green, Caitlin Mairi Nairn, Rianne Caroline Nairn

Higher National Certificate in Landscape Management

Pass – Ross Fowler

Pass with distinction – David Furness Cleland, Dominika Anna Fularczyk, Angela E S Hunter, Thomas Young

Pass with merit – Calum Brown

Higher National Certificate in Poultry Production

Pass with distinction – Tobias Samuel Arkell, Diane Michelle Clyde, Fiona Hunt

Pass with merit – Alex K Lee, Jamie Sherlock

Higher National Certificate in Professional Cookery

Pass – Caroline Jacqueline Simpson

Pass with merit – Nick Smith

Higher National Certificate in Professional Golf

Pass – Andrew Scott

Pass with distinction – Calum Stuart Maclean Draper, Lorna Miller McClymont, Gregor Scott Piggot Ramsay, Rory Starke

Pass with merit – Harry Clark, Bradley Ferguson, Alexander Long, Jack Noon, Thomas Baxter Preston, Kyle Reid, James Roberts, Stuart Ian Cameron Thurlow

Higher National Diploma in Agriculture

Pass – Mark William Craig, Jamie Ross Jack, Euan David MacRae, Duncan McLaughlin, James Forsyth McMiken, Andrew Charles Morrison, Edward Mitchell Carlton Scott, James David Scott, Chloe Stewart, Caitlin Strang

Pass with distinction – Heather Murray, Harry James Ross, Scott Martin Service, Craig Alexander Taylor, Alistair John Torrance

Pass with merit – Maria Bernadette Atkinson, Mhairi Joy Bell, Leon Black, William Angus Bryce, Harry Christison, Emma Louise Cobburn, Angus James Craig, Hazel Crawford, Scott Cruickshanks, Georgia Gubbins, Yvonne Kennedy, Alan James Lindsay, Nora Markus, Ben Alexander Miller, Andrew R Neill, Kiera Paterson, Alan Murray Ramsay, Caroline Rennie, Craig James Smith, Isla Smith, Jasmine Chloe Turnbull, Rachael Wood, Jack William Young

Higher National Diploma in Animal Care

Pass – Laura Jane Cooper, Angela Henderson, Ellen Marianne King, Freya Richardson, Jessica Ann Robinson, Kayleigh Watson

Pass with distinction – Kate Grace Balnave, Kirsty Louise Bell, Laura-Ann Bence, Karis Jayne Burcham, Morgan Lynn Coakley, Hannah Hepburn, Jade Ramsay-Kerr, Emma Elizabeth Reid, Rachel Marieta Roberts, Finlay Anne Sloss, Caitlin Roy Sneddon, Michelle Toal, Bethany Ann Underwood, Gabriella-Lavinia Woolley

Pass with merit – Karis Blackstock, Lauren Blair, Hayley Louise Colbert, Martin William Dowie, Kara Grace Dunn-Wilkie, Daniella Giudice, Yazmynn Sarah-Jayne Johnstone, Gavin Alexander McBride, Aleksandra Nellies, Natasha Margaret Philp, Lindy Rosie, Mary-Anne Thomson

Higher National Diploma in Applied Bioscience

Pass – Taylor William Mcblain McCann, Synnovea Van Greunen

Pass with distinction – Charlotte Olivia Clarkson

Higher National Diploma in Countryside Management

Pass – Matthew L Jack

Pass with distinction – Findlay Evans, Lauren Elizabeth Graham, Stuart Hay, Eleanor Rose Lawson, Allan Duncan MacAskill, Joseph Mangham-Brown, Darren Massie, Gregor William McLeod, Fraser Cameron Wilson, Bronwen Catherine Winter

Pass with merit – Caley Dalziel, Gillian Jane Young Johnstone, Leanne Kirkpatrick, Kirsty McCorkindale

Higher National Diploma in Environmental Resource Management

Pass – Rhys Mawby

Pass with distinction – Hannah Helen Brisbane, Courtney Hepburn, Angus Maclean, Angus Wilson Lamont McKee, Kirstin Taylor-Peacock

Pass with merit – Samuel Richards

Higher National Diploma in Equine Studies

Pass – Eily Andrews, Melissa Beale, Megan Catherine Bryan

Pass with distinction – Emily Stewart

Pass with merit – Amy Elizabeth Black, Julie Christine Isherwood, Samantha Muir

Higher National Diploma in Garden Design

Pass – Sarah Kathleen Smith, John Allan Thoumire

Pass with distinction – Anna Drury Blackwood, John Paul Lappin, Wilma Frances McNulty, Margaret Anne Wright

Pass with merit – Shaun Paul Dowse, Mari E MacRitchie

Higher National Diploma in Golf Course Management

Pass with distinction – Matthew James Aplin, Ross Christie, Peteris Sadovskis

Pass with merit – Cameron James Campbell, Stuart Diamond, David Michael Feeney, Mats Lundby Jorgensen, Andrew Keane

Higher National Diploma in Green Technology

Pass with distinction – Gordon Charles Dunsmuir

Pass with merit – Graeme G Stevenson

Higher National Diploma in Horticulture

Pass with distinction – Kate Masson, Nicole Noble, Jamie Trinder, Greg Watson

Pass with merit – Douglas Heed

Higher National Diploma in Horticulture with Plantsmanship

Pass with distinction – Rebecca Campbell, Annie Christine Cavanagh, Louise Fitzpatrick, Cecily Hope Withall, Haruka Yazaki

Pass with merit – Edward Joseph Matthew Charlton, Ines Doudeche

Higher National Diploma in Professional Cookery

Pass – Sara-Jayne Catherine Strachan

Pass with distinction – Hannah Joy Beattie, Careen Brand

Pass with merit – Amy Hardie, Liga Sprukte

Higher National Diploma in Professional Golf

Pass – Jason Conway

Pass with distinction – Thomas Roy Boyd, Ewan David Brown, Craig Stuart Jackman, Ewan James Milligan, Michaela Patzeltova, William Squires

Pass with merit – Kieren Alexander Beauchamp

Higher National Diploma in Rural Business Management

Pass with distinction – Catriona A Davidson, Alexander Philip Williamson

Pass with merit – Melissa Buchan, Louise C Finnie, Kirsty Jane Malcolm

Master of Science in Agricultural Professional Practice

Pass with merit – Jeremy Patrick Carmichael Robinson, Craig John Simpson

Master of Science in Applied Poultry Science

Pass – Christopher Burton, Conor Edward Sheehy

Pass with merit – Frances-Ann Forsyth, Nicholas John Ham

Master of Science in Organic Farming

Pass – Aidan Joseph Harney, Louise Kennedy, Ned McCarthy, Donal Myles, Paul Nyazika, Stamoulis Papatheodorou

Pass with merit – Thomas Fouhy, Kenneth William Gill, Mark J Gillanders, Stephen Frederick Meredith

Master of Science in Rural Business Management

Pass with distinction – Jenna Beaton Kyle

Pass with merit – Anthony Hugh Wrangham

Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Poultry Science

Pass – Elizabeth Findlay, James Turner

Postgraduate Certificate in Countryside Management

Pass – Robert Stewart Nairn

Pass with merit – Simon George Allison

Postgraduate Certificate in Organic Farming

Pass – Hiudai Croker, Ozair Hamood, Samuel Kudiabor, Rodrigo Lourenco, Jason McCormack, Robert Savage-Onstwedder

Pass with distinction – Timothy Williams

Postgraduate Diploma in Agricultural Professional Practice

Pass – Mellanie Jane Robson

Pass with merit – Joanna Foubister

Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Poultry Science

Pass – Laura Harrison, Rebecca Tierney

Pass with distinction – Diane Theresa Tanner

Pass with merit – Matthew Balfour, Lyndsey Cassidy, Pamela Cousins, Trevor Herron, Alice Hibbert, Anna Pipi

Postgraduate Diploma in Countryside Management

Pass with distinction – Robert Fairhurst, Sam Prior

Pass with merit – Des Hackett

Postgraduate Diploma in Organic Farming

Pass – Dara Phadraig Donohoe, Jason McCormack, Phillip Timothy Nedd, Declan John Pyne

Pass with distinction – Abigail J L Ashton, Jennifer Byrne, Frances Elizabeth Glass

Pass with merit – Miriam Al-Futaih, Lewis Clare, Mark Thomas Durnin, Catherine Hayes, Evangelia Kourellou, Karin Stierle.