Bradford College Celebrates Hundreds of New Graduates at Graduation 2024

Today, Bradford College Higher Education students celebrated their hard work and academic achievement as they graduated at Bradford’s ‘LIFE Centre’.

The day was split across two special ceremonies as our latest set of success stories donned their cap and gown in front of family, friends, and VIP guests.

Speaking proudly to a full audience, Chris Webb (Principal & CEO) opened proceedings: “I am proud to be part of the exceptional team leading Bradford College and equally proud of all your successes. It is no easy feat to achieve a higher-level qualification and you should all be very proud. Many of you will have faced challenges, doubted your abilities, made sacrifices but above all, worked incredibly hard. We must also thank all of your families, carers, guardians, loved ones, and friends who supported you and motivated you to complete your studies.”

The first ceremony of the day (11am) welcomed graduates from the Bradford School of Art, Engineering & Construction, Science, Health & Meditech, and Business, Accounting & Law. As part of this ceremony, Lisa Mallaghan (Executive Director, Bradford Producing Hub) was awarded an Honorary Fellowship for her work in the arts.

As well as the awarding of degrees and Honorary Fellowships, the day’s schedule included special awards to recognise the exceptional achievements of certain graduates. These awards were given under the titles of ‘Principal’s Outstanding Resilience Award’ and ‘Principal’s Award for Excellence’.

In the first ceremony, Mary Whitehouse (FdA Textiles Practice) received the ‘Principal’s Outstanding Resilience Award’.

Speaking about her award, Mary said: “I’m surprised, I didn’t know it was even a thing! I’ve absolutely loved the course and the tutors have been fantastic. It’s always been challenging with them pushing us to do better than we thought we could. If you’re passionate about textiles, it’s a wonderful opportunity to move you on. Go for it, follow your passion!”

In the same ceremony, the ‘Principal’s Award for Excellence’ went to Nick Hamlett (FdSc Ophthalmic Dispensing), who achieved the highest grades among his peers.

He said: “This degree will be so valuable for networking, I’ve built a level of knowledge to relate to other industry professionals. Every time it was my day to come into College, it’s something I looked forward to. I’m really proud of my achievement, it’s testament to the great teaching staff at Bradford College.”

The second and final ceremony of the day (4pm) then recognised students from the Margaret McMillan School of Education and School of Social Care & Community Practice.

Professor Rosie McEachan (Director, Born in Bradford) was given a warm welcome by guests and received an Honorary Fellowship for her work in Applied Health Research.

In this ceremony, the ‘Principal’s Award for Excellence’ went to Carly Harker (BSc Hons Counselling & Psychology in Community Settings).

Carly said: “I’m really shocked, it’s so unexpected! This represents my love for the course, it’s been three years that I’ve absolutely adored. I’ve immersed myself in it and the lecturers have been amazing. I wasn’t expecting to come back into education at all and now I’ve managed to get a degree.”

Meanwhile, the ‘Principal’s Outstanding Resilience Award’ went to Beata Kamran (Masters of Education).

John Williams (Chair of Governors) brought a close to Graduation 2024, saying: “In this room today, we have the next generation of experts across all kinds of specialisms and industries. Use your newly acquired knowledge to create, innovate, improve, refine, and find solutions that will benefit future generations. Society needs you now more than ever, but I feel confident and assured knowing that Bradford College graduates will be making a difference in the world”.

At Bradford College we are one of the largest education and training providers in the region, delivering Higher National Qualifications, Degrees, Higher Level Apprenticeships, and Postgraduate courses.

We are passionate about making our campuses some of the best sites available for Higher Education students and will continue to enhance our facilities in the coming years with transformational multi-million-pound funding.

If you’re interested in studying a degree at Bradford College, you can apply direct with us or via UCAS.