East Riding College’s HE Awards double up at Bridlington Priory graduation ceremony

An unusual ‘double graduation’ was held at Bridlington Priory Church to award degrees to students who completed their studies in 2020 and 2021.

Honours were conferred by the University of Hull and the University of Huddersfield to graduates from across the East Riding.

For the morning session the address was given by Dr Lynn Senior, consortium director at the University of Huddersfield, and in the afternoon the address was given by Dave Richards, pro-vice-chancellor (research and enterprise) at the University of Hull.

Kelly Silvester was named HE Student of the Year 2020 at the ceremony.

Kelly gained a first class honours in her BA in Early Childhood Studies from the University of Hull.

HE Programme Leader Sara Rackham said: “When Kelly first turned up to College she didn’t have a lot of confidence in her ability but she worked hard and took on board all the constructive feedback that was given from the tutors.

“She showed great perseverance and tenacity to ensure that the work she submitted was of the highest quality.

“She did all this while juggling a job working in schools and being a parent to two young children.”

HE Student of the Year for 2021 was Will Smith from Aldbrough near Hornsea.

Will, who has dyslexia achieved a first class honours in BA Contemporary Media, Design and Production.

He said: “The degree at ERC was much more practical than some other degree courses I looked at, really hands-on – you learn what you’ll do in the job. I really do recommend East Riding College, the course is amazing, the price is amazing, the small class sizes are a bonus and the tutors are great – I can’t praise them enough - they know you on a 1-2-1 basis, you can ask them anything.”

Head of Curriculum Tracey Murray said: “Will is the perfect candidate for student of the year. He went above and beyond in his commitment whilst studying for his degree and his enthusiasm and work ethic is infectious.”