SHE left school at 17 without a Higher to her name but now Nicola Cowmeadow has pipped students from rival Scots universities to secure a prestigious undergraduate scholarship.
The 37-year-old Perth mother-of-two has been awarded the Carnegie Undergraduate Vacation Scholarship and will spend much of her summer break leafing through intriguing archives stored at Blair Castle and in Edinburgh.
Nicola, Glasgow Road, has completed the third year of an MA hons History degree course at the University of Dundee.
And in a year when the Union of 1707 is under the microscope, she will be researching the long-overlooked role of women in the contemporary political and social scene.
The sought-after scholarship from the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland – often a springboard to post graduate studies – is awarded to students of “exceptional merit.”
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The Trust is one of the many beneficiaries of the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie, the Scot who emigrated to the United States in the 19th century to make his fortune in steel and rail.
Nicola said: “It is a real boost to my confidence to receive this scholarship because I was warned in advance it was very competitive.”
Leaving Perth Grammar School in her teens, she followed up a Saturday job by qualifying as a hairdresser.
Nicola has other strings to her bow, including fitness coaching, but was encouraged by husband John, divisional director with Bell Lawrie, to pursue her studies with sons Max (9) and Ben (7) at school.
“It began with Higher English and I just got carried away!" she laughed. "I began studying English at Dundee but quickly switched to history.
“My project is the Role of Women in the Politics of the Making of the Union of 1707. I spent some time at Blair Castle where Jane Anderson is in charge of a magnificent archive. And I also got experience at the AK Bell Library in Perth last summer. That has prepared me for delving into the National Archives.
“Obviously the Union has been in the news this year but I wanted to look at the role of women. So much of the focus has been on the men involved and it has been rather one-dimensional. I want to look at their wives, families, lovers and other interests.
“The Duke of Hamilton was a key figure and I will enjoy access to detailed correspondence between his mother and daughter, who married the Duke of Atholl. This includes discussions about Jacobitism and the politics of the day. Clearly they were trying to influence the Duke of Hamilton, who was a bit of a character.
“Often it was the women who ran the gentry’s estates, as the men were in London or Edinburgh. I’m also hoping to look beyond the elite of the day.”
The project is being directed by Dr Derek Patrick of the University of Dundee, who collaborated with colleague Professor Chris Whatley on a major reinterpretative study, “The Scots and the Union.”
Dr Christopher Storrs, history programme convenor within the university’s School of Humanities said: “We are delighted that Nicola has secured this prestigious award. It not only recognises Nicola’s own efforts and achievement so far, but it is also testimony to the high quality of our History students here at Dundee.
“Nicola’s project is an impressive one. We still don’t know enough about the role of women in politics at the time of the Union. This could open up new terrain in our understanding of Scotland at the time.
“We hope that her Carnegie Scholarship is yet another successful stage in what is already shaping up as a very successful academic career for Nicola.”
In addition to balancing studies with family demands, Nicola is also preparing to play a lead role in the September production of The Sorcerer by the Perth City Operatic Group.Labels: academy awards, career training, education online, financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad |
The day my dreams were crushed and died.