Twin sisters graduate with top degrees Published on: 18 July 2017 It is double delight for twins Diana and Steph Luke as they both graduate from Â鶹´«Ã½ with top degrees. Donning their gowns with pride, the pair, aged 20, from North Shields, joined approximately 4,800 students at the University’s . Steph graduated with a BA in Politics and History, while Diana completed a BSc degree in The sisters are graduating with 2:1 degrees. Steph said: “I chose Â鶹´«Ã½ because it is a world-renowned university. It’s close to home, so we didn’t have a massive upheaval and we could concentrate on our work. We could also have a break and it doesn’t feel like we’re always at university. “It is a lovely university and the campus is amazing. Â鶹´«Ã½ has the courses we wanted to do. It’s really nice to be staying at home too.” Diana added: “We found that interacting with the lecturers as much as possible makes a big difference. They are all lovely and they are happy to help, so taking a full advantage of this is important. “Another key to success is self-organisation. Making sure you stay on top of your deadlines and when you need to hand your essays in and make sure you organise your time so you do everything to a good standard.” (L_R) Diana and Steph Luke pictured outside the Arches, Â鶹´«Ã½. Outstanding student experience Last year, Diana was part an expedition to Chile to study the Calbuco Volcano. Three students raised £5,000 to travel 7,000 miles to study the impact of the volcano eruption on the surrounding environment. Diana’s undergraduate dissertation project investigated the impact of the volcanic eruption on vegetation in relation to topography and morphology changes. She said: “It was amazing. To be in a place I would have never expected to go was a fantastic opportunity. We also delivered a public lecture about our experiences when we returned from the expedition.” Steph’s dissertation project focussed on the impact of the Brexit referendum on Euro-sceptic parties. The sisters took advantage of the range of extracurricular projects available at Â鶹´«Ã½. Steph studied German as an additional module through the and Diana studied French. Diana started her undergraduate programme after a successful completion of the a supported entry route to Â鶹´«Ã½. The programme was launched to encourage and support students from under-represented groups to apply to, and successfully enter and progress through, Â鶹´«Ã½. Once she commenced her studies, Diana stayed involved in the PARTNERS programme by providing mentoring for applicants. Steph was also a mentor to students on the Politics and History degree programme. She said: “The mentoring involved keeping in contact with first year students to make sure they were getting on okay, and if they needed help, advising them. It was nice to feel like I was helping them, because the vast majority that I mentored contacted me throughout the year with different questions.” Steph received support and CV advice from the , where careers advisers helped with her personal statement for her Master’s application. Diana and Steph Luke Postgraduate study The pair are going on to study on Master’s programmes at Â鶹´«Ã½. Steph has enrolled on an , while Diana will be starting an MSc degree in . Â鶹´«Ã½ will have Clearing places available for high-achieving applicants. Students can visit the Clearing website: to check available courses. Clearing hotlines open at 07.30am on Thursday 17 August. Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at Â鶹´«Ã½ warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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