Angela Kirkpatrick wins FD Learner of the Year Award 2008

14 Mar 2008

The Foundation Degree Learner of the Year Award 2008 was sponsored by Student Network Sussex, a Sussex Learning Network project.

The following article was written by Amanda Williams, a member of the Student Network Sussex team.

Wandering through vines, the sunlight glowing through translucent ripened red grapes, an aroma of freshly fermented wine ever present. That’s the picture I formed of Angela Kirkpatrick’s chosen career path as I drove through the gates of Plumpton College, where she is in her final year of a Foundation Degree in Wine Business. Besides studying the business side of the trade, including people management and financial management, Angie studies aspects of wine tasting for seven hours a week: ‘We have to spit it out, of course, sometimes regretfully, sometimes not.’ Also, having recently taken an exam on the subject of champagne, I would suggest that Angie is quite the expert on the intricacies of the champagne making. And she has been known to don her wellington boots and pick grapes from the vines that grow in the college grounds.

Next year, Angie will study for a Diploma with The Wines and Spirit Education Trust. Internationally recognised, the diploma is part of the progression to being a Master of Wines. As well as studying, Angie works for a Fine Wine Merchants in Kent where she helps set up wine tours in France and Spain. Fluent in both languages, and therefore able to learn first hand about wine tourism, Angie is contented for the moment. But eventually, she would like to set up her own business in Wine Tourism to be based in Cape Town where she and her husband own a holiday home. ‘I’d like to take people on wine tasting tours, matching foods and wine which is a particular interest of mine.’

When she left school, Angie did a degree in Maths at the University of St Andrew's. She worked for a while in Ladbrokes, had three children and did a lot of work for charities. ‘My children have either all left home or are at the point of leaving home and I wanted to do something just for me after all these years.’ When she found out she’d won the award, she was ‘stunned.’ Already, she was one of two students who’d won a scholarship awarded by Plumpton College for achieving the highest grades during last year.

Cheers to Angie’s success!