YEOVIL COLLEGE CELEBRATES SUCCESS AT 2023 UNIVERSITY CENTRE GRADUATION CEREMONY
Yeovil College University Centre welcomed students to Westlands Entertainment Centre to celebrate the success of over 80 Yeovil College University Centre students at their graduation ceremony, including two sets of mother and daughter graduations.
On Tuesday 7th November, Yeovil College University Centre hosted the graduation ceremony for the graduating academic class of 2023. Not only was it a fantastic opportunity to celebrate with the graduating class but also an opportunity to recognise several outstanding students who received awards.
Friends, family, local employers and community partners, including guest speaker Edd Goddard, Head of Innovation and Technology at Leonardo Helicopters, and Chair of the Yeovil College Corporation, Peter Thomas, were joined by representatives from the University of Gloucestershire, The Open University, the Deputy Mayor of Yeovil, Councillor Emma Jane Hopkins, and local Councillors to witness graduands receive their formal awards.
Qualifications recognised during the ceremony included Honours Degrees, Foundation Degrees, Diplomas, Degree Apprenticeships, Professional Certificates and Postgraduate qualifications.
Several subject areas were conferred including Leadership & Management, Digital Design & Media, Business, Childhood Studies, Social Work, Engineering, Computing, Accounting and Teacher Training.
Alongside the formal graduation, Yeovil College University Centre also recognised a select number of students award winners; presented to students who had notably gone above and beyond, achieving academic excellence during their time at Yeovil College University Centre. The awards were judged by an independent judging panel who took all evidence into consideration. The winners of the prestigious awards were as follows:
Award for Management Excellence – Richard Murphy
Award for Computing Outstanding Achievement Award – Paul Thomas
Award for Engineering Excellence – Felix Loy
Award for Outstanding Trainee Teacher – Gary Pinney
Award for Creative Industries Outstanding Achievement – Jack Owen
Award for Outstanding Childcare Professional – Sandra Fifield
Award for Excellence within Social Work – Anna-Marie Perry.
Mark Bolton, Principal & CEO of Yeovil College said:
“We believe that the right university-level education opens doors and changes lives. We work tirelessly with our local business community to ensure what we deliver, how and when we deliver it, hits the mark to create a more capable and prosperous community for the benefit of all. We see our graduates secure their dream jobs and careers every year, inspiring us and their peers to be the best we can. I love what it does for our learners.”
Sandra Fifield, who studied BA (Hons) Childhood Studies and Education, attaining a First-Class Honours Degree, delivered an incredibly inspiring speech on behalf of the student body. She concluded with a quote about courage:
“To everyone who has joined me on my journey over the past two years, thank you. To all of those sat alongside me in the graduating class of 2023, congratulations for everything you have achieved. As you head off to continue your journey, I would like to leave you with this quote that inspires me:
“Courage doesn’t always roar, sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says ‘I’ll try again tomorrow’. Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. Courage lives at the heart of this journey. We cling to the familiar and sometimes it kills us. We must step beyond our comfort zone and take a leap of faith onto the growing edge of our soul. Faith in yourself is everything. You decide how far you go on this path. You are here for a reason, don’t stop till you find it.”
The graduation ceremony concluded with a celebratory gathering of friends and family and an opportunity to catch up with former classmates and to officially say goodbye to one another.