All Harper: A Year in Review - Part Two.

We’re now in the middle of the year and racing towards the height of summer, but that does not mean things are slowing down, as our students are as busy as ever! 

The Harper on Tour team got back on the road and headed to Cereals, Europe’s largest technical event for the arable industry, after 16-months away from shows and events.

Wildlife Conservation and Environmental Management student Amber Stanton told us that it was the course, the placement and our expertise that convinced her to study with us in her student story.

Harper student and sports enthusiast, Abby Puddefoot, highlighted the important work of Harper’s LGBTQ+ society and how the friends she made at Harper became her university family.

To round off the month Veterinary Nursing student Tina Tompkin was celebrating after finding out that she was successful in gaining a once-in-a-lifetime internship with Southfield Veterinary Specialists.

August saw graduate and Farmers Weekly Agriculture Student of the Year contender Chloe Gimson reminisce about her four years at Harper and her accomplishments.

Mature student Harry Vernon explained why he chose Harper Adams to catalyse a career change from retail and administration to Environmental Land Management.

Harry Buckley saw a gap in the market for people who understand agriculture and data science and told us how he planned to ensure he was at the forefront of the agricultural revolution.

 Annabel Arrand, another forward-thinking student, discussed her placement and how she was successful in bringing agriculture to primary school students in the form of an after-school farming club. 

Animals are an integral part of everything that we do at Harper Adams, so we could not miss the opportunity to show off our teaching dogs and the work they do on National Dog Day.  

In September, globe-trotting Kerry Coffey spoke about her myriad of achievements from scoring 90+ % in her assignments and winning scholarships to running research trails with Bedfordia and AHDB.

Every summer (pandemics permitting!) Harper Adams hosts its annual residential, The Harper Adams Experience, and it was this very event that convinced the former ladies hockey captain Sally Tyler that Harper would give her a first-class experience.

The month of October saw the university and its staff support The Campaign for British Wool’s, Wool Week of 2021 with a number of blogs, quizzes and photo opportunities with some of our real-life woolly jumpers.  

We also caught up with Agriculture and Animal Science graduate Bradley Key, who is now settling into his graduate career with Blade Farming after achieving  first-class honours.

November was another month of successes for our students and graduates.

Bioveterinary Science student Tanya Peters, was nominated for the Rabbit Student of the Year Award in the Burgess Excel Vet Awards.

Shannon Porter’s straight-from-the-farm milk and milkshake business boomed in popularity and our shooting team came away victorious from a competition in St Andrews. 

If anyone needed some motivation as we headed into December, Lauren Knight’s story about her continuing her university career during a pandemic and whilst battling cancer was enough to inspire anyone to keep going. 

Throughout December, we’ve been sharing the warmth and fantastic experiences the university offers by showing how and why our staff and students #LoveHarper

Gabbie Fleury told us she loves Harper Adams because “it excels in providing enrichment opportunities and makes the most of what it has got, and no other university can offer that.”

Food Technology and Product Development student Will Owen went from cooking in the privacy of his own home to presenting live culinary masterclasses. He told us how his placement year helped his blossoming culinary career reach the main stage.

We also had a scrummy start to the month thanks to the Harper Adams Women’s Rugby Team, who beat local rivals Staffordshire University twice by a margin of 60 points each time. 

Student Union President and Vice-President, Emily Brown and Emily Wallace allowed us to end the term on a warm and fuzzy note as they shared why they would choose Harper in a heartbeat if they had to do it all again. 

Here is to a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and a prosperous 2022!