Donna Franceschild

Tell us about your journey to Abertay.

Pluralistic counselling is as cutting edge as it gets and I have felt very privileged to have been accepted onto such a sought-after course. My course colleagues have been amazing. There is a real sense of commitment and purpose here.

What are your plans for the future?

I am hoping to be able to work as a counsellor in Argyll, where I live. The population are very under-catered for and there is a real need there.

 What’s something few people know about you?

I am pretty sure that at 64 I am the oldest graduand in my group! And, living in Argyll, just getting the course once a week wasn't easy. It involved a trip to Glasgow the night before, staying with my son there then getting up at 4.40am to get the 5.56 train to Dundee to get to class on time. My placements have been in Falkirk and Dunbar. I have seen a LOT of the insides of trains and buses in the past 2 years.

I also broke my wrist just before New Year and had to write a 5,000 assignment using speech recognition software. But I got an A!

What’s your advice for students starting at Abertay after the summer?

It's got such a great vibe about it. It's not so huge that you get lost in it. Tutors and staff care about what's happening with you and want to help.