Graduating student dedicates dissertation on heavy rock to father who passed away during studies
A student who dedicated her dissertation to her father after he passed away in tragic circumstances during her last year of studies has graduated from the University of Salford.
Lara Hargreaves, from Trafford, is graduating with a 2:1 degree in BA English Literature.
The 21-year-old was just two months into her third year of studies when she got the news that her father, Andrew, had passed away on a photography trip in France.
Lara and her father were very close with the two sharing a kindred love of all things heavy rock. This shared love of the medium proved influential for Lara as she decided to write her dissertation on exploring trauma theory in rock star biographies and autobiographies.
The news of her father's passing came as Lara was halfway through writing so when it came to finishing it, she decided to dedicate the document to his memory.
Lara said: "It was incredibly difficult when he passed. He was my main inspiration and the reason that I wanted to go to University.
"We'd always been very close and it was me that actually got him into heavy rock and metal music when I was younger. We developed a shared love of the likes of Guns N' Roses and Mötley Crüe.
"He actually took me to a Mötley Crüe concert a few months before he passed away which is a memory I hold onto closely. I knew I had to dedicate my dissertation to him."
Lara has high praise for her dissertation supervisor, Dr Caroline Magennis, Associate Professor (Reader) in Contemporary Literature, about the support she provided for her over the last nine months.
"Caroline was always there for me," she said. "Every time I emailed, she was responding almost instantly. She was very understanding, always offered her support and told me that I could come to her with any issues. I was so happy when I got a first in it."
Graduation will be a big moment for Lara and her family as Lara says she had her struggles with the course in the early years and considered previously dropping out.
Lara said: "It's just mad to think that I went from coming home crying everyday, saying I couldn't do it and wanting to drop out to now finally graduating and getting a first in my dissertation which is the biggest piece of writing I've ever done in my life. I'm just so proud of myself."
Lara currently works in customer service and administration but is planning to become an English teacher at a secondary school in the long-term as a career.