Rachel & Jessica's graduation and award success is a family affair
Two sisters from Ballymote have followed in their father’s footsteps by graduating from Queen Margaret University (QMU) Edinburgh. In July this year, Rachel Thorpe was awarded Master of Podiatry (MPod), while Jessica Thorpe achieved a BSc Podiatry from the same institution where their father qualified as a podiatrist over 30 years ago.
Not only did the sisters gain their degrees, Rachel, aged 22, won The OSGO Award for Academic Excellence in Level 4, and Jessica, aged 23, was awarded The OSGO Award for Best Research Project.
The girls were inspired by their father Wilson Thorpe to pursue a degree and a career in podiatry. Wilson graduated from Queen Margaret University in 1992 and has been working as a podiatrist in Ireland ever since. He runs the Wilson Thorpe Podiatry practice in Sligo.
The girls had a wonderful experience studying at QMU, living separately in the student residences on campus, and exploring the beautiful city of Edinburgh. They found the lecturers extremely supportive and very much enjoyed the close-knit learning community which the podiatry course is particularly well known for.
For Rachel, the highlight of her Master of Podiatry was being based in Scotland’s capital city but also undertaking a student placement in her final year in Shetland. She loved the islands and took every opportunity to sightsee during her stay in Shetland. Jessica particularly enjoyed her placements in Edinburgh, the vibrant QMU community, and the support she received from her practice educators, both at QMU and on placement.
At what was the second of three QMU graduation ceremonies to take place in July, Rachel and Jessica celebrated their success with their parents and brother, and were joined by Patrick Grant, entrepreneur and judge of BBC One’s ‘The Great British Sewing Bee’, who was officially installed as QMU’s new Chancellor.
The sisters were in good company at the ceremony on 8th July, as they and their fellow graduates were also joined by Scottish actress and narrator, Ashley Jensen, and the former Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Fringe Society, Shona McCarthy, who were both awarded honorary degrees. Ashley Jensen, most recently known for her leading detective role in BBC’s much loved crime drama ‘Shetland’, was awarded Doctor of the University for her contributions to the arts, and Shona McCarthy, former Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Fringe Society, was honoured with a Doctor of the University for her visionary leadership in the arts and her profound impact on Scotland’s cultural landscape.
Having graduated, the sisters are pressing ahead with their career plans. Jessica is currently working for another QMU podiatry graduate at the AAlba Footcare Clinic, a private practice in Carrick-on-Shannon, whilst Rachel is setting up her own business, and will be working out of her father’s clinic in Sligo.
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For further media information contact Lynne Russell, Communications Manager, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, E: lrussell@qmu.ac.uk , copy to: pressoffice@qmu.ac.uk.
