Highly Commended

Fourth year, BEng Civil Engineering

In primary school I enjoyed mathematics, but struggled with my schoolwork, as I have dyslexia. Inspired by my dad's hard work on our family's dairy farm, I realised that I had to work extremely hard to become a successful civil engineer at the cutting edge of industry.

Through high school, my maths and science skills improved, but the English-based subjects still lagged behind my peers’ work. After studying for my GCSEs, I went to sixth form college, however, my spelling and grammar were still lacking. Despite this, through determination I achieved the grades needed to be accepted into this great university.

My image shows me in the slurry channel installed into the new milking parlour on the family farm. This innovation inspired me to be a civil engineer because I could see the strength of the concrete and how versatile a material it is. The whole building process, from rickety old farm buildings to a state-of-the-art facility for milking cows, was incredible and inspiring to watch.

It was impressive to know that the concrete would withstand the acidity of the waste that went into it, as well as bearing the live loads of cattle and tractors running over them every day for decades.