Hollie graduates from Queen’s University Belfast having distinguished herself as one of the top-performing microbiology students in her year. Hollie has been awarded both the Shirodaria Prize and the John Quinn Memorial Medal in recognition of her outstanding academic achievements - earning the highest mark in the final year Medical Microbiology module and the top Honours project mark in Microbiology.

Hollie’s final year research project focused on the microbial composition and chemical properties of different soil types, with a specific aim of uncovering the reasons behind varying arsenic levels—a complex and ambitious study that earned her the John Quinn Memorial Medal.

“To have won an award for my research project, it honestly feels unbelievable. It has boosted my confidence and I would love to do more research someday, maybe as a PhD.”

Beyond her academic work, Hollie was an active member of university life. She participated in the Biosciences Society, Art Society, and served as a Course Representative - a role she found both socially and personally rewarding:

“Being a course Rep was a really good experience, it helped to bring the micro students closer together by gathering feedback which then would lead on to other conversations and new friendships. Also working with staff and lecturers is really good because you get to see just how much they really care about making positive differences to the student experience.”

As she prepares to graduate, Hollie is set to begin her professional career as a Junior Lab Analyst focusing on food testing at Eurofins, but she isn’t ruling out a return to Queen’s in the future.

“I'm really excited to be graduating, but it's also very bittersweet because I know that I'm going to miss my time being a student.  I would definitely love to come back to Queens someday as a postgraduate.”

For future students, Hollie offers this advice:

“Get involved. Naturally I would be quite introverted and in final year I really put myself out there and joined different clubs, and it's been the most rewarding year so far. I would love to go back and do it all again.”

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