Students from Redcar and Cleveland College got their moment to shine this week with graduation celebrations at Kirkleatham Walled Garden.

A mighty 58 adult learners put on caps and gowns ready to celebrate their achievements with a formal procession and awards ceremony.

“Graduation is such a momentous event for so many of our higher education students,” said the college’s executive principal, Jason Faulkner.  “We are incredibly proud to see our learners, many adults who have chosen to return to their studies, fulfilling their ambitions.”

Parading through the grounds of the walled garden, the ceremony saw students pick up higher education certificates, HNCs, HNDs foundation and full honours degrees, many delivered in partnership with Teesside University.

Among those achieving their goals was Redcar mum-of-two and valedictory speaker, Jayne.  

For the former retail manager, graduation marked the culmination of five years of study.  In that time, she has worked her way up to a full honours degree, balancing her studies around the commitments of work and family life, changing careers and even giving birth to her second child along the way.

“Juggling studying around a baby and an eight-year-old was tricky, to say the least,” she said. “But I have a fantastic support network.  Every spare minute I would read or research, hobbies just had to wait as studying became more important.

“There were times that I struggled with concentrating and was tired due to the demands of having a baby and life in general, but it is amazing what you can achieve when you push yourself.”

Immensely proud to be selected to speak on behalf of her fellow graduands as valedictory speaker on graduation day, with her family there to cheer her on, Jayne, 42, said: “Through the tears, tantrums, night feeds, illnesses (pregnancy though!) I would not change a single day. The journey to graduation has been one that I would wholeheartedly encourage anyone to follow should they wish to change career or just grow academically.”

Now working as a teaching assistant and ultimately hoping to work with children with special needs, she said college ignited a passion for learning that she didn’t know she had, so much so, Jayne now plans to study a master’s degree in education.