A mother and son are enjoying a double celebration by graduating from Edinburgh Napier University in the same week.Jenny Patterson, 54, yesterday collected her PhD at the School of Health & Social Care ceremony on Wednesday, after completing research focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder and childbirth.
She was cheered on by the youngest of her four sons, Ryan, 21, who attended the Usher Hall ceremony as a guest … but today it will be his turn in the spotlight when he is awarded his BA in Law!
Jenny said the family, from Portobello, Edinburgh, had provided mutual support, with Ryan’s brother Calum graduating in criminology from the university last year and their father Lee doing an Open University degree in social studies.
Jenny said: “There have been many ’round the tea table’ conversations about human rights, research methods, writing and referencing techniques.
“When any of us was exhausted or overwhelmed or just plain stuck – we supported, listened, suggested and generally kept the moral going.”
Ryan added: “My mum is, by far, the most academic in our family yet there was never a feeling of pressure to perform, and that atmosphere definitely made it easier to study.”
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