Graduation 2017

As graduation week commenced on Monday 17 July, Cardiff was transformed into a city of celebration and pride. The streets were filled with gown-clad graduates throwing their hats in joy, ready to take to the stage at St David’s Hall.

Amongst those graduating were Vithiya Alphons and Amy Davies; both women have exceptional stories of achieving incredible results despite adverse circumstances.

Optometry student Vithiya made it to the graduation finish line despite her year-long battle with cancer. Through both her own perseverance and the University’s “amazing” support she completed her studies after taking time out for treatment. Vithiya hopes that her story is one that will inspire others. She said: “Work hard and never, ever give up. If I can do this, you can do this.”

Social worker Amy spent a large portion of her childhood in care, she never considered herself to be the academic or university “type”. However, after graduating from a 2-year MA in Social Work, it is safe to say that Amy is the academic type. Speaking of her Cardiff journey, Amy stated: “I put my heart and soul into the degree and was helped along the way by the amazing and extremely supportive staff at the University.”

Graduation week can leave many of us feeling nostalgic for our university days. So, to show our appreciation for what is – (in our humble opinion) – the best student experience in the UK, we put together a video celebrating student life in Cardiff. Packed with student hot-spots you’re bound to recognise, there are more than a few of the favourite Cardiff haunts featured… (there really is nothing quite like a Café 37 fry up!) .You can watch the video here.

From City Hall, to St David’s Hall, we spent the whole of Graduation Week roaming the streets of Cardiff armed with selfie frames and congratulations. To round up the celebrations, we have collected all our favourite graduation memories in a Facebook gallery, why not have a peek!