Hull College celebrated the successes of its higher education students at its annual Graduation Ceremony on Wednesday 30th November.

The achievements of more than 160 students were celebrated at the prestigious ceremony held at the Hull City Hall which recognised the hard work and achievements of graduates who had completed Higher National Certificates (HNCs), Higher National Diplomas (HNDs), Foundation Degrees, BA Honours Degrees and Professional Qualifications in subjects ranging from Construction Management to Criminology and Performing Arts, Media and Music to Young Children’s Learning Development.

The students were joined by family, friends, academic staff and honoured guests, including local businessman Tim Rix CBE who gave an inspirational keynote speech before the graduating ‘Class of 2022’ - donned in traditional caps and gowns - were presented with their certificates by Rob Lawson (Chair of Governors at Hull College), Professor Huxley-Binns (University of Hull) and Dr Lynn Senior (University of Huddersfield).

Debra Gray, Principal and CEO at Hull College, said: “It was fantastic to come together as a college to celebrate the achievements of our higher education students. They have all put in so much hard work to complete their qualifications and have demonstrated an enormous amount of dedication, commitment and passion throughout their studies with us.

“Our Graduation ceremony is always one of the highlights of the college calendar and this year was no different. It was a day for our students to feel very proud and it brought me so much joy to join in with families, friends and colleagues in celebrating the accomplishments of this outstanding group.

"On behalf of everyone at Hull College, I would like to congratulate our graduates on their success and wish each and every one of them the very best for the future.”

During the ceremony, the college paid tribute to Tim Rix CBE, Chief Executive of J R Rix & Sons Limited, who was awarded an Order of Distinction in recognition of his outstanding achievements and support to education, business and communities in the city of Hull and the county of East Riding of Yorkshire.

A number of special awards were also handed out to students who have demonstrated a particular flare or ability during their course, achieved outstanding grades or made significant progress. The following special awards were presented:

Rollits Prize for Business Enterprise: Anna Gordon

The Principal’s Award for Early Years, Health & Education: Zoe Storr

The Nick Morrison Award for Construction, Engineering & Technology: Mathew Sharp

Student of the Year Award for Performing Arts & Music: Andrew Hardy & Elizabeth Cameron

The David White Memorial Award: Thomas Robinson

Student of the Year Award for The Institute of Arts: Katie Clark

Senior Student Representative Award: Thomas Robinson & Shog Mahmood

Amy Stonham, who completed her FD Criminology with Psychology qualification at the college, said: “As a result of my course, I have now secured my dream job of working as a Probation Service Officer in the Prison Service, proving that all the studying, sweat and toil over the past two years of my qualification have been worth it. Graduating was fantastic - a great experience from start to finish. Thank you to all Hull College staff for providing such a joyous event.”

Neil Proud - FD Popular Music Performance graduate, added: “My experience of studying at the college has been fantastic and the whole programme has been very enjoyable. It helped me to grow in confidence massively and my tutors have been so supportive throughout. I'm now in my Bachelor year and excited for what lies ahead. My graduation experience was surreal but one that I thoroughly enjoyed. To be part of such a celebration of success was amazing!”

BA (Hons) Fine Art graduate, Kira Bielby commented: “I'd been waiting for this day for so long and it didn't disappoint! It was an incredible day and it was great to see that everyone had a fantastic time. It was different to what I expected with so many people involved but it was such a nice way for everyone who had completed their studies to round off their time at the college. I couldn't be prouder!”

Myles Noble - BA (Hons) Fine Art graduate - said: “It was such a fun day and the perfect way to round off and celebrate the hard work and commitment shown by all students to complete their qualifications. I loved my time at Hull College and made so many lifelong friendships during my studies. I've also learnt so much about myself as a person and that's probably the biggest takeaway from studying for a degree in my opinion.”

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