UCEN Manchester’s Student Awards 2022 celebration
This year’s ceremony showcased students’ remarkable achievements during the 2021/22 academic year.
A group of colleagues and students at UCEN Manchester came together on Wednesday 8 June at the Imperial War Museum in Manchester to find out who had won this year’s Student Awards.
The annual event, which was organised alongside UCEN Manchester’s further education partner, The Manchester College, was hosted by former BBC Radio Manchester presenter Chelsea Norris. Guests were treated to a delicious street food inspired buffet and incredible entertainment from The Manchester College’s Performing Arts students.
Throughout the evening, attendees heard about the finalists’ remarkable achievements over the last 12 months and found out why they were nominated by colleagues and their peers.
The night ended with the prestigious Student of the Year Award, which was presented by Cllr John Hacking, Chair of UCEN Manchester’s Board and Lisa O’Loughlin, Principal of The Manchester College. The award was given to two thoroughly deserving winners; UCEN Manchester’s Shabaaz Khan and Mia Kerry from The Manchester College.
Speaking about the awards, Michael Walsh, Dean of UCEN Manchester, said: “Our Student Awards are always great events, and I was delighted that our students could collect their awards in person this year for the first time since 2019.
“We’re committed to providing our students with a career focused learning experience that puts them on a direct path into employment and offering the right support to help them thrive and succeed. The nominations our students received for this year’s awards really brings their experiences to life.
“I’m so proud of everything all our students have achieved over the last 12 months and thrilled that we were able to recognise our finalists by inviting them to a wonderful celebration to showcase their achievements.”
Tutor Katy Rushton was at the event to support the students she nominated, including Shabaaz Khan, and explained the importance of the event: “This year, more than any other, I wanted to nominate our amazing students because they’ve missed out on so much over the last few years. Their educational experiences have been completely different and I’ve been inspired by their perseverance.
“When it comes to writing nominations, I’ve always got so much to talk about because all our students work to a really high level and support our employer partners with live briefs, which is something I’m keen to celebrate.
“It’s great to see some of the students I nominated at the event and recognised in this way.”
Shabaaz added: “I’ve had a great experience with both The Manchester College and UCEN Manchester.
“I’ve learnt so much about animation and design in general. I couldn’t have asked for anything more and, receiving the Student of the Year Award is brilliant.
“I can’t wait to achieve more with UCEN Manchester, thank you so much."
The winners
Open to all The Manchester College and UCEN Manchester students:
Greatest Achiever
Jermaine Cartwright
Open to all UCEN Manchester students:
UCEN Manchester Accelerate2Industry Award
Shabaaz Khan
Access to HE Student of the Year
Eric Riley
Counselling, Health and Social Sciences Student of the Year
Christiana Nwosu
Film and Creative Arts Student of the Year
Konna Thompson
Management, Digital and Engineering Student of the Year
Muhammad Umar Abid
Performing Arts and The Arden Student of the Year
Isaac Milne