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Ulster University student and Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Lindsay Millar graduates today with an MSc in Communication and Public Relations.

Lindsay juggled her duties as a local councillor and then Mayor with her studies to obtain her Masters in Communication and PR.

Lindsay has always had an interest in politics, studying it at undergraduate level and then going on to work for Ulster Unionist Party MEP Jim Nicholson. She has been working in politics for 7 years, taking the lead on events and campaigns for a busy MEP and was elected to Mid and East Antrim council in her mid 20s.

The EU referendum changed everything for Lindsay; she describes the outcome of the referendum as her P45 with her job ceasing to exist from March 2019. It was time to think about her future and she decided to go back to university.

Lindsay commented:

“Coming back to Ulster University to study Communication and PR was an obvious choice for me. While working for Jim Nicholson MEP I have had the opportunity to gain experience in event management and work on campaigns and that is where I see my future.

“It was daunting going back to university at the age of 27 but I would definitely recommend it. I was able to draw on my professional experience throughout the course to develop my skills and knowledge.”

It has been a very busy year for Lindsay juggling work, council duties and her masters. She was elected as Mayor of Mid and East Antrim in June and successfully managed to fulfil her mayoral duties while writing her dissertation.

Lindsay added:

“Over the past year I have spent most of my evenings and weekends working on my Masters. After becoming Mayor I didn’t want to miss any engagements but I was also determined to finish my dissertation so I made sure I had my laptop and books with me everywhere I went. As soon as I had a spare hour I would hit the books! It was challenging but I am so proud to be graduating today.”

Lindsay has been able to put her new PR and communications skills to good use as Mayor during public engagements and interaction with the media.