University Centre Somerset celebrated its class of 2024 graduates on Friday 25 October at Wellsprings Leisure Centre.

220 students graduated from subjects including Animal Management, Engineering, Nursing, Media Makeup, Education and Counselling.

Graduates were accompanied by family and friends who cheered them onto the stage to accept their qualification before ending the day with celebratory strawberries and prosecco.

Guests included Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset Mr Colin Drummond OBE, guest speaker High Sherriff of Somerset Robert Beckley QPM, Mayor of Taunton Councillor Vanessa Garside, Gideon Amos MP, and representatives from each of UCS’s university partners who conferred the awards for their respective institutions.

Each year, UCS awards Student Prizes to some especially exceptional students to recognise their outstanding commitment and achievement. Congratulations to this year’s winners:

• Henry Morris, Business Management HND graduate, was a joint winner of the Best Final Project/Dissertation Prize.
• Samantha Knight, BSc (Hons) Animal Management and Wildlife Conservation, also won the Best Project/Dissertation Prize.
• Cameron White, Business Management HND graduate, won the Principal’s Prize.
• Kate Gibbs, Postgraduate Certificate in Education graduate, won Student of the Year.
• Liam Arscott, BSc (Hons) Agricultural Management graduate, won the University of Plymouth Academic Partnerships Award.

As is customary at UCS graduations, the ceremony featured the Student Vote of Thanks, a speech written and delivered by a lecturer-nominated student. This year, Lucy Clapham, BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies, did the honours and delivered a beautiful speech, perfectly summing up her experience at UCS and praising her fellow graduates and tutors.

“Thank you to University Centre Somerset for delivering such high-quality education. I always loved being in our area of the building, you could sense the buzz of conversation as you passed by full classrooms. The common room would be full of mixed students from nurses, to engineers all enjoying a very well-deserved Costa. I will always drive past the building with nostalgia, pride and a sense of belonging.”

Before finishing up, Lucy bought her wonderful words to a close, spreading motivation, a congratulations, and even a few tears;

“As we embark on the next chapter of our lives, let us remember: while we may not have all the answers, at least we know how to ask the right questions‚Äîand sometimes even how to Google them. Thank you!”

Reflecting on the day, Andy Berry CBE, Principal & CEO, said,

“I could not be prouder; today marked a milestone in the history of UCS. Our vision is to transform lives and communities through effective partnerships that positively impact our students. We are the first college in the country to deliver nursing degrees. Today, 22 nursing students graduated and have secured roles in our communities, providing desperately needed skills. This achievement truly demonstrates our vision in action.”

Thank you to our fantastic class of 2024. You chose to share your academic journey with us and we are so proud of everything you have accomplished and overcome to get here. Your qualifications are well-deserved and we can’t wait to hear about what you do next!