Fiona Lang

Argyll College UHI Student of the Year

Course:  HNC Fitness, Health and Exercise

Fiona decided to turn a leisure interest in gym-based resistance training into a new career strategy when she applied to start a sport and fitness course with Argyll College UHI.  As a 46 year old single mother of three school-age children returning to education after 22 years, Fiona was nervous and concerned that her family commitments and lack of computer skills would affect her ability to successfully complete the course.  Her concerns were unfounded.  Fiona’s study skills developed and grew with each varied assessment requirement and learning became a ‘team game’ for the Langs, with swotting, homework, assessments and IT skills development being something they could all share and support each other in.

In nominating Fiona for the award her tutor, Elaine Thom, said: “Fiona is one of the most exemplary students I have taught in over 35 years of education.  Fiona soaks up everything there is to learn in class and shows a thirst for knowledge and a determination to ‘get it right first time’ that I have rarely encountered. Her remarkable energy and highly developed personal and social skills will stand her in good stead for whatever she decides for her future.”

When asked how she now saw her future, Fiona said that after spending some more time with her family “I hope to use my newly found knowledge and qualifications to improve the fitness of the people in my workplace and I have also been looking at online courses to further my knowledge in health and social care”.