Zoe Frieslick’s son Riley was two years old when she decided to “take a shot” at Higher Education.
An Aberdeen woman who navigated single parenthood while studying for a degree is celebrating after graduating from Robert Gordon University (RGU).
Zoe Frieslick’s son Riley was two years old when she decided to “take a shot” at Higher Education.
Now seven, Riley’s mum is now the proud owner of a BA (Hons) in Applied Social Science.
Former Peterhead Academy pupil Zoe, 27, said: “Knowing how proud he is of me makes everything worth it.”
She is the first person in her family to go to university, having decided to “better my prospects to give Riley a better life.”
Having successfully navigated a National Certificate and then an HND in Social Sciences at Nescol’s Fraserburgh campus, Zoe took a leap of faith in stepping up to RGU.
Despite having “never envisioned being good enough” for university, it’s a move which has now paid off.
‘I’ve always been fascinated by how brains work’
“I’ve always been someone who struggles with making decisions,” she said.
“Social sciences allows me to have options due to the potential employment pathways not being restricted, which means I wasn’t diverted down a specific avenue.
“I was always fascinated with psychology, how individual brains work differently and the reasons behind that.
“This led me towards taking social sciences and developing an interest in other areas within the field including sociology and politics.
“I feel so grateful to have come this far. I never envisioned being good enough to reach a university level degree so I’m extremely proud of myself for getting to this point.
“RGU has been beyond my wildest dreams, I have really enjoyed my time here and I feel very bittersweet about leaving.”
During her studies Zoe won the Julian P Bell Award for student contribution in Applied Social Sciences.
The inspiration behind Robert Gordon University graduate’s success
The inspiration behind Zoe’s degree is undoubtedly son Riley. And more specifically, the chance to give him a better life.
“After having Riley in 2016, I didn’t have many employment options.
“But I wanted to do something with my life, to develop my skills and improve my employment opportunities before he was too much older.
“In so many ways, the skills I have developed here are guaranteed to help me on my career journey, from researching to networking.
“I feel confident in my ability to be the best I can be in any field I decide to go into.”
‘Some days were extremely difficult’: Juggling single parenthood and degree studies
Today’s graduation ceremony at P&J Live is the culmination of years of hard work.
And not just academically, as Zoe juggled studying for a degree with an even more important job – bringing up Riley.
“Trying to navigate being a single parent and going back into education is not an easy experience,” said Zoe.
“In fact some days were extremely difficult, trying to balance spending time with Riley while trying to better my prospects in order to give him a better life.
“It’s hard, but it’s not impossible. I was lucky to have such a great support system behind me, with family and close friends.
“The older Riley got the easier it became – I’ve been studying since he was two.
“I also wouldn’t have been able to complete my studies at both NESCol and RGU if it wasn’t for the funding available for childcare at these institutions.”
She added: “Riley really helped me through a lot of difficult moments during my academic journey, as knowing how proud he is of me makes everything worth it.”