Adventurer and author Anna McNuff joined some of Uxbridge College’s most inspiring students and employer partners to celebrate their achievements at an awards night supported by organisations including M4Money Credit Union. The M4Money-sponsored Star Award for Business was won by Jenika Ranmal.
Jenika, 21, completed the Level 2 Extended Diploma in Business, and continued on to an Access to Higher Education course. This is a qualification accepted by universities that is completed in one year rather than two. During her studies, she got herself a customer-facing job at the leisure centre, despite lacking confidence speaking due to having a speech difficulty. Plus, she also has dyspraxia, which affects physical coordination. She is an excellent student with near perfect attendance. She’s also incredibly helpful to her classmates and she volunteers in her spare time.
Uxbridge College works with 1,000+ employers in employment-related training and apprenticeships, including under the West Met Skills banner, and with 600+ employers providing work experience placements.
Guest star Anna, whose incredible endurance feats include cycling through every state in the USA and running 3,000 miles from one end of New Zealand to the other, is also the author of ‘The Pants of Perspective’ about her 148-day kiwi trip. As well as presenting the awards, Anna talked about her life and adventures – and shocked everyone by ripping off her baggy walking trousers mid-sentence to reveal the authorial ‘pants’ – a pair of lurid Spandex leggings decorated with rainbows, a unicorn, and a wolf! Students and employers who work with Uxbridge College received their awards from Anna and had their photos taken with her.
The principal of Uxbridge College, Laraine Smith OBE, said: “I would like to say a huge congratulations to all our student and employer winners at this year’s awards – as well as a really big thank you to Anna McNuff for making the evening so special. Whilst our awards are partly about some of the more apparent forms of success such as excellent grades and high pass rates, what really shines out among our winners is what they achieve as individuals during their time at college – be it through the challenges they overcome, the journeys they go on, or the people they turn into as they take up opportunities in and outside the classroom to fulfill their potential. I’m extremely proud to be at the helm of such a fantastic organisation that continues to make this possible for young people and adults year on year.”
The event, held at The Beck Theatre in Hayes, recognised winners from across the College’s academic and vocational programmes – including GCSEs, A Levels, BTEC qualifications, Apprenticeships and HNDs – and from among the 1,000 employers the College works with.