A week of ceremonies took place this summer in the University of East Anglia’s massive Sportspark hall, which was suitably decorated for the occasion.
The over 4,400 UEA graduates plus their families and friends then spent the rest of their special day celebrating in the special ‘graduation village’ on the athletics field. Among the food and drink stalls in the village was one run by INTO UEA where teachers and other staff were able to reconnect with dozens of the over 250 graduating INTO UEA alumni.
Across the five days, INTO UEA alumni from 17 countries - from Angola to Kazakhstan and Sudan, who were there to receive degrees in subjects from Accounting to Molecular Biology and Genetics – made a special effort to speak to those who had helped them at the INTO centre.
Zainul Marzuqi, who is from Brunei and received a 2:1 in his MPharm programme having completed the International Foundation in Pharmacy, Biomedicine and Health at INTO UEA in 2015, was keen to highlight the benefits of studying at the Centre: “INTO provides endless support with your education, wellbeing, and getting around in Norwich…. It did wonders for my development socially and academically – and helped by preparing me for a university degree.”
Thanks to everyone involved in his UK study experience, Zainul now feels ready to pursue a career in his chosen profession: “I will be undergoing training as a pre-registration pharmacist in Beccles to qualify as a registered pharmacist in the UK,” he added.
Adrian Wu, who comes from Hong Kong, completed the International Year One Psychology programme at INTO UEA in 2017 and gained his Psychology BSc from the University, also paid tribute to everyone at the Centre: "Doing International Year One with INTO UEA meant that I had the advantage of having a support team in my first year at UEA. If I had questions about tackling coursework etc, I could always seek help from INTO.”
“The UK offers a top quality education and the best opportunity to learn at an international level, INTO UEA made my transition into the UK much simpler and easier,” added Tayyab Arshad, who comes from Pakistan and was there to receive a BSc Marketing and Management (2:1), having completed the International Year One programme in Business Management and Economics at INTO UEA in 2017.
Pictured: Hoi Ning Chiu, Sum Yi Tsoi and Adrian Wu - all former students from the 2017 IYO Psychology pathway at INTO UEA - who received their degrees from the University this summer.
More information about INTO UEA is available here.