City of Westminster College’s Student Awards Ceremony took place at the end of January, the first public event to take place at the new Paddington Green Campus – and the first event at the Campus’s Sarah Siddons Theatre. The College welcomed MOBO Awards founder Kanya King MBE as keynote speaker at the ceremony, which took place in front of an invited audience of stakeholders, key business partners and award-winning students and their guests.
The Student Awards take place each year and are a highlight of the College calendar. They celebrate achievement and perseverance and this year 23 students were honoured. Here are some of their stories.
Annie Beggs received both an award from the Faculty of Community Studies and the Principal’s Award for her achievements in returning to learning. Annie has five children and had to leave school at an early age. She initially joined a Life Skills course and, despite her initial conviction that she would not be able to cope with study and family commitments, her grit and determination soon shone through. Now Annie is studying on the Higher Education Access to Nursing course with the goal to qualify through university and work as a midwife.
Charlotte O'Connell received her award from the Business Development Unit for her progress on the Sector Routeways Retail course. Charlotte, 18, was referred by Kentish Town Job Centre and didn’t have any formal qualifications when she joined our programme. She was dedicated and motivated throughout the course – setting a fine example to others – and achieved excellent exam results. Now she intends to move on to NVQ Level 1 in Beauty Therapy.
Zain Sadique was honoured by the Faculty of Arts, Business, Humanities & Leisure and received the Stephen Young Award for his achievement on BTEC Level 1 Introductory Diploma in Media. Zain, who has a hearing impairment, showed determination and exceptional courtesy to all staff and peers. He also achieved distinction grades. Zain is the first recipient of the Stephen Young Award, named in honour of an outstanding Media student who died in a tragic climbing accident last year. The College was delighted that Stephen’s mother was able to present this Award.
Kevin Say received an award from the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics for outstanding work on our specialist BSc Clinical Physiology programme validated by Middlesex University. Originally Kevin joined on an Access to HE course, having almost no formal qualifications. He then progressed onto our Foundation Degree in Clinical Physiology programme, which he successfully completed after two years. He is now on track to achieve his BSc degree in 2012.
Photo caption:
Kanya King MBE, with Jude Boardman MBE, Principal Keith Cowell and City of Westminster College Student Award winners. (Please note that additional images are available on request).
Further information:
Raffaella Cuccia - 020 7258 5522 / 07852 772303
Libby Norman - 01799 550 007 / 07866 310083
Editors’ Notes
City of Westminster College
- City of Westminster College is a leading London further education college with three centres in central London – Paddington Green Campus, Queens Park Campus and the Cockpit Theatre – and a range of outreach centres.
- The College offers over 250 vocational and academic courses to over 7,000 students each year. Specialisms include Sport, Digital Media, Engineering, Music Technology and Science.
- City of Westminster College is an associate of Middlesex University and University of Westminster. It is also a Founder College of the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills and a member of Westminster Skillset Media Academy with the University of Westminster.
- The College’s £102m Paddington Green Campus opened in January 2011 and is a flagship building for the Further Education sector.
- The College’s new Campus features outstanding facilities, including a Sports Hall built to Sport England specifications, a fitness suite and dance studio and the 150-seat Sarah Siddons Theatre, named to commemorate the famous 18th-Century actor, who is buried in St Mary’s Churchyard, Paddington Green.
- For more about City of Westminster College, visit www.cwc.ac.uk