Katherine Henderson - BA (Hons) Management

Graduating with a First-Class Honours in Business Management, Katherine is building on the success of her third-year placement in the waste management industry and has secured a full-time graduate job in Aberdeen based Keenan Recycling company.

21 year-old Katherine Henderson from Newtonhill came straight to university from Portlethen Academy believing the Aberdeen Business School offered the most opportunities and best path to pursue a career in business.

During her first year at university, Katherine, successfully attained the CNR International – Barbara Rae Access Scholarship, a scheme funded by the Canadian Natural Resources Limited and now managed in partnership between The RGU Foundation and ACCESS RGU. In addition to receiving £3,000 per year funding, Katherine benefitted from mentoring, pastoral and study skill support. She also worked with career advisors from the university Employability Hub to strengthen her CV ahead of placement applications.

Reflecting on her experience at RGU, Katherine says: “I am extremely delighted with everything I have achieved at university and gaining a First-Class degree has made all the hard work worthwhile.

“Although my thesis was the hardest piece of work I have completed during the four years, it was the most rewarding. My dissertation investigated the lack of female drivers in the waste management industry, and I really enjoyed hearing the experiences of females which gave me a deeper understanding of the industry.

“I feel as though I have achieved a significant amount from university from carrying out a study abroad to a year-long placement experience at Keenan Recycling. I also got involved with the RGU netball team which really added to life at university. All of these experiences and the skills I’ve learnt throughout my degree, have helped me develop as an individual and I’m looking forward to putting everything I’ve learned into my career.

“The highlight of my course was carrying out a study abroad in Marseille. This experience taught me very strong resilience and gave me the opportunity to understand a different culture and teaching methods, whilst making lifelong friends. I also enjoyed fourth year, and even though this was the hardest year of university, it was the most rewarding and it was good to be back on campus with friends.”

During the pandemic, Katherine showed great resilience to her studies and whilst she couldn’t complete group work, she was able to focus on her studies without any distractions. She also built up her online tools in Microsoft Teams and Blackboard Collaborate.

Having secured a part-time role after her third-year placement in the industry, Katherine has taken the first step on the career ladder and is working full-time at Keenan Recycling as a Customer Service Advisor. Looking forward Katherine says: “I believe the Aberdeen Business School has really prepared me well for my career. I’ve gained industry experience and learnt transferable skills, that will help me as I take the next steps in my professional journey.”