Higher Education Awards at SERC Graduation

 

   

         

   

         

   

         

   

         

   

         

   

         

   

         

   

         

   

         

   

         

   

         

 

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Congratulations to students who received Higher Education Excellence Awards at SERC’s Graduation for Class of 2025 at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast on Friday 19 September.

The Higher Education Student of the Year for the School of Arts and Sport was presented to Dylan Craig  (Lisburn), HND in Performing Arts, by Dr Dave Linton, Madlug.

Dylan has been awarded a distinction in all 15 units of the HND in Performing Arts - an unbelievable achievement, and a first for this course. He has already secured a professional, funded project for 2026 and opened this up for other students to apply for.  During this year’s panto, Dylan gave an excellent, entertaining performance as the Dame, bringing comedy and character to a challenging role.   

The Higher Education Student of the Year for School of Built Environment was presented to Pete Davidson (Drumaness), HNC in Construction Management, by Dr Dave Linton, Madlug.

Pete has consistently demonstrated excellence, leadership, and a deep commitment to the construction industry throughout his studies. His academic performance has been outstanding, consistently achieving top grades in his modules. Outside the classroom, Pete has actively pursued professional development, changing jobs halfway through his course and taking it all in his stride.  He is also a great help to his peers offering his time to support others in their learning.  Pete consistently seeks out opportunities to deepen the class understanding and asks thoughtful questions which demonstrates curiosity in class discussions.   

The Higher Education Student of the Year for School of Business, Health and Hospitality, (joint winners) was presented to Shannon Gregson (Newtownards) and Daniel Harrison (Bangor), both BSc (Hons) Business Management (Validated by Liverpool John Moores University),  presented by David Murley, CMI, award sponsor.

Shannon brought a consistently positive presence to the classroom, despite personal challenges, having lost both parents at an early age. In her final year, Shannon took the initiative to secure a four-week international work placement in Malaga, Spain. This was an extraordinary accomplishment and a testament to her courage, independence, and drive.  Throughout her studies, particularly in difficult times, she would often say she was doing it “for her mum,” a phrase that encapsulates both her motivation and the deep love that continues to guide her. Shannon never allowed adversity to define her. Her strength, resilience, and determination have been nothing short of inspirational.   

Fellow winner Daniel demonstrated both leadership and humility, confidently taking the lead on group tasks when appropriate, but also stepping back to support others when required.  Daniel’s first achieved a BTEC in Business at SERC. He then went into full-time employment. However, recognising the long-term value of a degree, he returned to campus in June 2022, and graduated top of his class. Daniel has exemplified what it means to be a collaborative and inclusive student. During induction, he generously volunteered to mentor first and second year students.

The Higher Education Student of the Year for School of Engineering and Science, was presented to Nathan Marsh (Bangor), BSc (Hons) Cloud Computing Technologies (Validated by The Open University), by Deborah Hoggett, SIAS, award sponsor.

We’re told that Nathan has been a pleasure to have in class. He brought energy, humour, and enthusiasm to every session, making the learning environment fun and engaging for everyone.  Nathan attended the Databricks Community Meetup in Belfast organised by Data Intellect, along with one fellow student. They were the only students at the event, and Nathan spoke confidently with professionals who were there from major tech companies and impressed them with both his knowledge and his enthusiasm. He was a great ambassador for SERC at that event.  He also helped students from another course by taking part in their filming project, showing great teamwork, and supported HND students with their project during his own free time. Nathan achieved top marks academically.

The Higher Level Apprentice of the Year (joint winners), was presented to Bronagh Beattie (Ardglass) and Matthew McGivern (Lisburn), both HLA Culinary Arts, presented by Jamie Hunter,  Alternative Heat, award sponsor.

Bronagh is an outstanding student whose positive impact on her classmates and the wider learning environment is truly commendable. Taking inspiration from her roots in Ardglass, County Down, Bronagh has sourced local seafood and other ingredients, and she independently designed and launched a range of innovative street food dishes, reflecting both creativity and business acumen. She has generously shared her expertise by delivering high-quality culinary demonstrations to her classmates and students from other programmes, fostering a strong culture of peer learning. Bronagh has successfully balanced the demands of a full-time job that requires travel across Ireland, alongside the rigours of completing her foundation degree/HLA programme. Throughout his college time, Matthew became an informal leader within the group—an inspirational figure who motivated others through his actions and attitude. 

Matthew has shown impressive personal development, transitioning from a role as senior chef in a small local restaurant to a post as Sous Chef in a multi-national hotel chain where he has responsibility to manage and inspire a large team of chefs and has earned high praise from his head chef. He is also currently on the part-time teaching register for SERC so he can continue to mentor and develop skills with the next generation of chefs.   

The Ishihara Award recognises SERC’s outstanding Higher Education Engineering student. SERC’s international team has forged strong relationships in many countries, including links with Toyama University in Japan. This award, named after Toyama’s former Principal Professor Ishihara, The Ishihara Award was presented to Nathan Hawe (Bangor), HND Engineering (Electrical and Electronic) by Jamie Hunter, Alternative Heat, award sponsor. Nathan was very successful on his HND course, achieving distinction in all his units and has secured employment with a local company.  Nathan was instrumental in helping SERC with the setting up of its industrial Programmable logic controller rigs - that is, an industrial computer specially adapted for the manufacturing process, important for lecturers to use in the class and for external training. Nathan’s role included helping to repurpose the equipment and designing new elements of the computer.    

Students’ Union Officer of the Year (joint winners) awards were presented to Abbie Cook (Newtownards), HNC in Healthcare Practice and Jordon Snell (Millisle),  BSc (Hons) in Cloud Computing Technologies (Validated by The Open University) by  Dr Dave Linton, Madlug.  

Abbie was elected Women's officer in Ards this year and has been a model officer since election. Her representation and support for women on campus and in the local community has been second to none. Abbie successfully organised a toy collection for Women's Aid in the run up to the Christmas, planned an International Women's Day event for the Newtownards Campus and collaborated with the Bangor teams to make it an event to remember.  Abbie balances all this student voice work alongside a higher education course and her commitments as a mother.

Jordon received several nominations and has been Higher Education officer on the Bangor Campus for two years.  Jordon is an excellent communicator and is always coming up with ways to improve the higher education space and experience.   This included developing his own feedback system to find out what was needed to improve the higher education study rooms. Popular with the higher education student body, Jordon and has played a key role in raising the visibility of the Students’ Union and whilst working hard in this role, he has also achieved a first class honours degree.      

The Emily J Connor award recognises an outstanding student in the area of business. Emily Connor was a philanthropist in Bangor who died in 1932 and who had championed among many other causes, the local Technical and Business school, where she supported prizes for achievement. This college was succeeded by the Institute of Further Education, and in time by SERC as we know it today, and this award is for an outstanding student in the area of business studies and is presented in accordance with Emily Connor’s will.

The Emily J Connor Award was presented to Maeve Lennon-Caughey (Kircubbin), BSc (Hons) Business Management (Validated by Liverpool John Moores University, by Dr Dave Linton, Madlug.

Maeve, who has just graduated with a BSc in Business Management, has consistently demonstrated an unwavering dedication to her academic studies over the past three years, never settling for mediocrity and always striving for excellence.  We’re told that what truly sets Maeve apart is her humility and her compassionate and caring nature and she has always shown a genuine commitment to helping others succeed alongside her, whether through informal study groups or individual conversations.   She has never accepted sub-par work from herself and has consistently challenged herself to grow both personally and professionally. Her determination and positive attitude make her an outstanding role model to fellow students.