Meet our eight Graduation Day 2023 Award winners
It’s five days since our York College University Centre Graduation Day and we thought it was the right time to highlight our eight award winners.
The inspirational students were presented with their prizes by Principal Lee Probert at the end of the York Minster ceremony where they gathered with fellow graduates, family members and tutors to honour their achievements.
Please read on to learn more about why they gained special recognition for their time on campus as a Degree or Higher-Level course student:
Yasmin is a remarkable student who has battled personal challenges to succeed, having been caught up in the Manchester Arena bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in May 2017 when 22 people died and hundreds were injured. She suffers from PTSD as a consequence of that awful night and has worked hard to excel following her return to studies.
Choosing PTSD as part of her Major Project, despite the concerns of her tutors that emotions from the past could be triggered, Yasmin was determined to share her story to help others who might be suffering from the disorder. She consequently produced powerful, thought-provoking images by utilising her specialist make-up and photography skills to highlight the importance of understanding the long-lasting effects of PTSD and to educate people that there is a way to rebuild.
A brave, thoughtful and reflective young woman, Yasmin is a survivor and a warrior in her own right, who truly deserves this recognition.
Sam has shown incredible resilience, determination and commitment to commute to College from Lincoln while balancing his course commitments with caring responsibilities at home. He also took on an additional evening class to develop his Maths skills and has overcome anxieties to make big strides with his overall personal development.
(Sponsored by York Science Park and The Guildhall York)
MATTHEW GALLEY
Open University Foundation Degree Digital Technologies (Cybersecurity)
Matthew achieved outstanding results despite health issues which greatly impacted on his physical attendance. Despite this, he still produced consistently high-quality coursework combining detailed technical analysis with a highly professional writing style.
He was also very supportive of classmates and would frequently be seen working one-to-one with them and helping them to get to grips with some of the more technical aspects of the course, making him a real asset to the group.
Hatty has been with the College since 2017, when she began her Level 2 Art and Design studies. She went on to join the Level 3 Extended Diploma in 3D Design, before staying with us for her Higher Education.
Despite always encountering difficulties with her written and academic work, Hatty’s determination to succeed has enabled her to develop strategies to help her progress through the levels. Watching her phenomenal progression has been inspirational during a journey that has seen her go from a shy, unconfident student at Level 4 to one who independently completed her final project to a 2:1 standard and produced a 5,000-word dissertation.
Hannah started our Fashion Design & Garment Technology course in 2020, spending much of her first year of study on a blended or remote timetable of delivery, which she approached with her usual optimistic energy and enthusiasm. She had previously dropped out of her studies at Nottingham Trent University due to crippling anxiety and returned to her family home in Middlesborough.
Despite fears associated with change, Hannah chose to continue her educational journey with York College’s University Centre as she was drawn to the small class sizes, the regular opportunity for one-to-one support and the opportunity to learn about many aspects of the industry while still living in the family home and commuting from Middlesbrough. Hannah has achieved 100% attendance despite that considerable journey and also completed a two-week placement in London with menswear fashion label Orlebar Brown, where she received glowing reports for her outstanding contributions to the research and development of next season’s collections, which were deemed beyond the company’s expectations of an intern.
A much-valued member of the Fashion Design & Garment Technology programme, Hannah’s warm and kind disposition was also witnessed with her invitation to lunch for first-year students at the University Centre.
(Sponsored by Support Solutions & Support Solutions Franchise Ltd)
CHARLOTTE TAYLOR
BA (Hons) Leading Children's Development and Learning (Top-Up)
Charlotte’s educational journey at York College started back in 2016 when she secured her Level 3 Childcare qualification, but not without lots of pushing! Subsequently, she decided to work in a nursery for two years before returning to Campus to study for her Foundation Degree, going on to achieve a Merit.
During her BA Top-Up course, Charlotte has excelled and gained First Class Honours. She has now started her journey into teaching and demonstrated that great things can be achieved through dedication and hard work.
Joe embodied the College value of Care as a trainee teacher by supporting others in his PGCE cohort on a weekly basis during sessions through conversation and encouragement. He also worked brilliantly throughout the course to support the groups that he taught - putting time and effort into planning outstanding lessons for his students and delivering them with care to ensure a fantastic learning experience.
Joe cared for every single student he taught and worked with them as individuals to aid their progress, as they flourished under his guidance.
Dedication saw Adam manage a very busy workload as a Trainee Site Engineer for Lindum Construction during the Covid pandemic and afterwards, achieving a string of Distinction grades along the way.
He is now planning to continue on his Higher Education journey and hopes to gain Chartered status after completing his degree.
