Outstanding student achievement celebrated at inspiring New City College awards evening

It was truly a night to remember as outstanding students were honoured for their resilience and commitment at the New City College Student Achievement Awards presentation evening on Monday.

Special guest at the inspiring celebrations was rapper, author and broadcaster Guvna B, who spoke about his teenage years growing up in the East End and how his college and community leaders had a huge influence on the direction of his life.

He emphasised the importance of education and praised the student award winners for their hard work and dedication. 

Held during Love our Colleges Week at the Leonardo Royal London City hotel, the evening paid tribute to students who had overcome adversity and achieved beyond expectation. Proud families and VIP guests from local businesses and the community heard testimonials of aspiration, endeavour and excellence – with other students shown on video clips explaining why college is so important to them.

Tying in with the Love our Colleges campaign, the awards evening raised awareness of all the brilliant things that colleges do, day in and day out to build communities, boost business and support individuals. The winning students were all examples of how their college journeys have had a profound effect on their lives.

Some had demonstrated care and compassion for their peers, others had overcome personal tragedy. Many had shown outstanding commitment to college life or had worked hard to achieve in difficult circumstances. All the winners were role models who had brought a positive energy to the classroom.

As well as the awards presentations, the 200 guests were treated to an electrifying performance from the West End musical Six by students studying Performing Arts at New City College’s Havering Sixth Form campus.

A motivational poem written by current Tower Hamlets campus student Avri Forbes was read out by event host and singer Amy Mottram, who also performed the Labi Siffre song, Something Inside So Strong.

The awards evening illustrated how New City College is at the heart of the community with a wide reach across diverse neighbourhoods – working to improve economic prosperity by providing the training and skills to help young people and adults find their future careers.

CEO and Group Principal Gerry McDonald, closing the ceremony, told the audience: “What a wonderful evening we have had. I have been impressed and inspired by our students and their stories tonight. We are immensely proud of all of them for these incredible achievements. I would like to thank our sponsors for their support of this important evening and I also want to thank my teaching and support staff colleagues who have helped our students to reach such high standards of progress and achievement.”

Many guests commented on the fantastic event, saying it was uplifting to be a part of such an inspiring evening.

One said: “It was such a slick, professional and well organised event which showcased the excellent curriculum and opportunities available to students at NCC. It was so inspiring to hear the winners’ stories and how they have gone over and above with their studies to achieve their educational and career goals.”

Sponsors of the event were: Bath Spa University, CTC Building Services, Canary Wharf Group PLC, Learning Curve, University of East London, Mindful Education, Pelican Developments, and Printech Ltd.