Ellie McLaren

"I am currently doing a Master’s in Marketing at Glasgow Caledonian University, as well as working full-time for the summer at The National Piping Centre in Glasgow in their marketing and events team, specifically working on Piping Live! festival in August this year. I am also working freelance with Live Music Now Scotland and for myself as a gigging musician and fiddle tutor - so always busy!

I would not be in the position I am in today without having been to UHI, as the skills learned there have opened doors for me in starting my career. I found that the course allowed me to keep working as a musician, which was very important to me as breaking onto the scene can be quite hard when you are studying. Unfortunately, Covid got in the way towards the end, but I tried to make the best of a bad situation and cannot complain about where I am today. The course really suited my learning style, and I would do it all again if I could.

I am an Alumni Ambassador because I absolutely loved my time at UHI, and I want to spread the word about how great and underrated UHI is as a Scottish university. The BA (Hons) Applied Music course is certainly becoming more popular and is a big contender against other music courses in Scotland, and I would like to help promote this. I also want to support new students and act as a friendly face who they can ask any questions and come to for advice."