First in family to graduate

A 21 year old from Lancaster who is the first in his family to go to university has graduated with a first class degree in Maths.

David Hackett lives on Michaelson Avenue in Torrisholme and his father is a retired electrical engineer and his mother a housewife.
He attended Morecambe High School before choosing Lancaster for his undergraduate studies.

As well as achieving top honours, he also won an award from the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications for outstanding performance in the final year.
He has now got a job on a graduate trainee scheme with a firm of chartered accountants in Preston.

He said: “My family are over the moon because I’m the first to graduate from university, although my brother is at university in Edinburgh now and my three sisters are all studying with the Open University.
“I enjoyed Maths at A Level and it was one of my better subjects so I chose Lancaster University because it’s got a really good reputation for maths and statistics.
“I could also live at home which made it easier and I really enjoyed the experience.
“The course was brilliant, and the content was interesting but demanding – although I got excellent support and I couldn’t have done it without that.
“I feel ready to go and earn some money now and I’d rather work than do more study.
“I could have studied to be an accountant at age 18 but I’m glad I did it this way because I’ve gained much more by coming to university.”