Andover College Celebrates its Achievers

Sparsholt College Group’s Andover Campus spent the night celebrating its students’ dedication, ambition, and persistent hard work at its annual Achievers’ Awards at The Lights Theatre.

The awards highlight the college’s holistic and personalised philosophy which goes into the education of every single student.

The Achievers’ Awards is a culmination of all the hard work and dedication that students, staff and parents showcase throughout the academic year at Andover College. Their results are a powerful indicator of the quality of teaching and support the college provides and demonstrating that students are getting the most out of their time at Andover College.

Ben Stokes, Vice Principal said:

“The Andover Achiever Awards are a wonderful and richly deserved celebration for Andover students, parents and staff. It was fantastic to see so many families and friends there to support our students, and we can’t wait to see what this year’s cohort go on to achieve. Andover Campus is committed to providing a platform of high educational standards and credibility which we continue to uphold and can be seen in every single student who has won an award tonight.”

Our Guest of Honour was Amelia Cook, a previous student who studied an Art Foundation Degree at Andover, who is now a Chartered MCIPD, current Head of Human Resources for Le Creuset UK & Ireland. Millie shared some advice with students, encouraging them to remember that they are the driver of their own development, to embrace diversity and difference and remember to take time out. The message coming from an alumnus who stood before them with an impressive professional record had a resounding effect on the students at the very beginning of their journey.

The Public Service Award was awarded to Charlotte Vosakawaiwai. Charlotte’s nomination was one of the largest submissions a true example of the impact she has had upon staff, fellow classmates and the college. A short extract read “Charlotte is a friendly student who has excelled within her course, producing outstanding work, achieving many distinction grades. She has done this despite being first and foremost a rugby, fan, player and coach in a group full of footballers. She has persevered, dealing with unexpected loss of a family member, dealing with adversity within her own experiences whilst supporting those fellow students close to her.”

With a Scholarship at Brunel University lined up, Charlotte takes her glowing record of achievements at Andover with her. Charlotte said, “With the help and support of my teachers, pushing and motivating myself I am excited to be going onto brunel university to do Sports and Science alongside a Rugby Scholarship.”

The Alan Guyatt Mature Learner award was awarded to Sedona Jamieson. Sedona’s nomination read “From the outset of her Access Course, Sedona has demonstrated an overwhelming desire to succeed.  Despite having personal setbacks prior to college, she put these behind her and made her studies her priority.  Her written assignments were brilliantly researched, and she was determined to understand the abstract concepts in Chemistry rather than just regurgitate facts.  In particular, her individual research project (Who has the cleanest phones; Staff or Students?) was both excellently researched and presented to an undergraduate level.   It was a pleasure not only to teach Sedona but to see her overcome her challenges, gain confidence and even enjoy chemistry (hopefully).  I wish her all the best in biomedical career where I’m sure she will continue to excel.”

In response, Sedona took a moment to reflect on what this achievement meant to her,

“I am so privileged to win this award today I have been at Andover for the past year and have had such an amazing time. All my lecturers have been so supportive and helped me get through, what has been quite a tough course, but I am out the other side now and start uni in a couple of weeks!”

Kyrylo Verpakhivski was one of the brightest stars of the evening winning two awards. The Personal Achievement award and the coveted Principal Award which is presented to the student who has demonstrated an outstanding achievement or contribution to the college. Kyrylo moved to Andover from Ukraine to continue his education. Fuelled by the sacrifices made by his mum to ensure his success, “Failing was not an option” and not only has Kyrylo worked phenomenally hard to achieve academically in college, but he has also supported many young people and their families who have had to leave their homes and some family members fighting on the front line to start a new life here in Andover. He has been a formidable role model to his peers and an inspiration to us all.  

Upon reflection of his achievements at Andover, Kyrylo said

“It was a pretty difficult challenge, but I am here right now and it’s all because of the help and support the teachers at Andover have provided and still provide. It was a pretty awesome experience I would say.”

The Full Award Winners

• Alan Guyatt Mature Learner Achievement Award – Sedona Jamieson
• Academic Achievement Award – Thomas Willis (Sponsored by Test Valley Borough Council)
• Humanities Achievement – Thomas Willis (Sponsored by Parker Bullen Solicitors)
• Science and Maths achievement – Thomas Wilkins
• Social Science Award – Chloe Beavis and Finley Simmonds (Sponsored by Winchester University)
• Nigel Spackman Sport Achievement Award – Oskar Harvey-Nash
• Apprenticeship Achievement – Joanne Walker
• Creative Arts Achievement Award – Heather West
• Hairdressing Achievement Award – Molly Winslade
• Performing Arts Achievement Award – Ben Sutton (Sponsored by The Lights Theatre)
• Technology and Future Skills Award – Ethan Holland
• Care Sector Achievement Award – Matthew Thomas (Sponsored by Kindred Nurseries)
• Public Service and Sport (Leisure and Protective) award – Charlotte Vosakawaiwa
• Digital Industries Award – Mark Hardy
• Core Studies Award – Mariia Shevchenko (Sponsored by John Lewis and Partners)
• Personal Achievement Award – Kyrylo Verpakhivski (Sponsored by Andover MIND)
• Principal’s Award – Kyrylo Verpakhivski (Sponsored by Winchester University)
• Teachers Award – Lorran Fraser
• Support Staff Award –  Mel Birmingham, Saffron Butterworth