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Students celebrate success at graduation ceremony
Student news
news
Thursday 19 July 2018
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A celebration of success has been held at Coventry Cathedral to mark the achievements of students studying in the city.
CU Coventry has held its first graduation ceremony of 2018, where a total of 379 students graduated, with more than a third achieving first class honours.
Graduates and guests were invited to the Cathedral for the ceremony where they heard from Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer John Dishman.
An after party was then held at St Mary’s Guildhall including refreshments and canapes as well as an instabooth taking commemorative photos, and careers experts were also on hand to give graduates advice on their next steps.
Chow Kong graduated at the ceremony with a first class honours in Biological & Chemical Sciences, with CU Coventry opening doors which enabled him to take part in a cutting edge medical research project.
Chow, from Malaysia, moved to the UK to attend university and chose CU Coventry because of its unique model of career-focused education.
In his third year he was given the opportunity to take part in a research project focusing on reproductive medicine to help women who suffer from recurrent miscarriage at the clinical sciences research laboratories of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire. The project was organised by CU Coventry’s course leader of Health and Life Sciences Hiela Gharanei in collaboration with Professor Jan Brosens, with Chow being the only undergraduate taking part in the research.
Chow getting ready before the graduation ceremony.
He is now set to remain in the city to complete a Masters degree and continue working on research at the hospital.
I didn’t like the thought of a learning environment that involved sitting in big lecture theatres, which is why CU Coventry’s model of small class sizes and a lot of contact hours was perfect for me.
The focus on developing employability skills was also very important as the job market is very competitive, so I wanted to go somewhere which would help me stand out from the crowd.
I was lucky enough to be introduced to the research department at the hospital by one of my tutors, and the project I took part in gave me a good personal insight of what the job entails and the development in the industry recently.
It was also an amazing opportunity for me to apply the knowledge and theory I gained from my degree to the practical environment. I am so grateful for the opportunities CU Coventry has provided me with and I am now looking forward to continuing to work on research at the hospital during my Masters.
Chow Kong, Biological & Chemical Sciences
We have seen some fantastic results this year and I would like to congratulate all of our graduates on their outstanding achievements.
I would like to wish them the very best of luck as they go onto further education or move into the world of work. I have no doubt that they will go on to accomplish amazing things in the future.
Jackie Mathers, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor at CU Coventry
Graduates were keen to talk about their time at CU Coventry, and had the following to say about their experiences while studying as well as their plans for the future.
I have really enjoyed my time at CU Coventry and I’m missing it already. The careers team helped me write my CV and I am now working as a lab technician. It’s great to know that I am in a career where I can progress.
Jemma Higgins, Biological & Chemical Sciences
It’s been great fun studying at CU Coventry and I wish I could stay even longer. I came over from Nigeria to study here as it offers a completely different kind of education compared to traditional universities. I’ve made a lot of friends and I’m really going to miss it. I’m now going to be moving to Canada to complete a master's degree in server management.
Franklyn Ohia, IT Practitioners
It’s been really good studying at CU Coventry – everyone has been so supportive. I started with a foundation course in accounting before moving onto my degree. I chose to stay at CU Coventry because they have a different way of doing things, with small teaching groups and a lot of contact hours. I’ve already secured a job working in tax in my hometown.
Olivia Wiggins, Professional Accounting
CU Coventry fit around my lifestyle and the tutors were always on-hand should we need any extra support. I’m now going abroad to work in Japan teaching 11 to 14-year-olds.
Tom Simpson, IT Practitioners
Before I went to CU Coventry I worked for 20 years, and since getting my degree I am now working for an automotive company and earning twice the salary. Although it is a competitive industry, my previous experience and first class degree helped me to succeed. Studying at CU Coventry has been an amazing part of my life and I have made some excellent friends. I’m sad it’s come to an end.
Kerri Collier, Management and Leadership
