Jenny's first class journey ends on spiritual note
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WHEN Elgin mum Jenny Adams graduated with a first class Bachelor of Divinity degree it was the end of a marathon journey.
The degree is one for which she commuted for four hours a day, travelling over 560 miles a week, to and from the University of Aberdeen.
For Mrs Adams (40) the train became something of a classroom.
She had to balance her studies and extensive travel with her role as a mum to Scott (13), Alan (11) and Euan (8).
And she also had to fit in placements, as required by the Church of Scotland for her desired career as a minister, at Lossiemouth, Fochabers and Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Despite all this, Mrs Adams has been awarded the Burgess Prize for the best dissertation, three Christ’s College prizes for systematic theology, and shared a Christ’s College prize for practical theology.
Her husband, David (48), a local solicitor, was a great support picking up a lot of the responsibilities at home, as she left very early or arrived home late after attending classes at the University.
Mrs Adams admitted it has been hard, sometimes missing out on the school run or helping with her sons’ homework because she spent much of her day travelling.
She said: "I perhaps had quite a different student experience from my classmates as I could not get involved in university life beyond the classroom because I lived so far away.
"However, because I could not just quickly nip home it helped me to make friends on campus with my classmates."
After the birth of her third son, she had taken a career break from the telecommunications industry where she worked as a software engineer for 10 years. It was during this period she received her call to the ministry and she enrolled at the University of Aberdeen.
Mrs Adams previously attended St Laurence Church in Forres, and is now an elder in St Giles’ and St Columba’s South Church in Elgin.
She is looking forward to taking up her probationary placement in nearby Fochabers (Bellie Parish Church) after her graduation.
