New City College celebrates its stars at Student Achievement Awards

New City College students were honoured for their resilience, determination and personal growth at an inspiring Student Achievement Awards evening in London.

From outstanding academic results to remarkable personal journeys and acts of kindness, the successes of NCC students of all ages took centre stage at the 2026 celebration evening.

Held at the Leonardo Royal London City Hotel, Tower Hill, the annual event brought together students, families, college staff and special guests to celebrate those who have made exceptional progress or contribution to college life over the past year.

This year’s ceremony included a lively Breaking News theme that put the spotlight on the many positive stories emerging from across the College. Guests were treated to an entertaining news broadcast featuring some of the college’s most memorable moments, with further breaking new reports interspersed throughout the evening.

Presented in a television news format, the films brought a dynamic energy to the celebrations, mixing humour with important stories about the college’s work and successes. Among the highlights were NCC’s national award for sustainability, its campaign for fairer adult education funding and its recognition for being a technical skills specialist.

The broadcast set the tone for an evening full of proud moments and applause, with the awards shining a light on the people behind the headlines.

Celebrating talent, progress and determination

Thirty-one awards were presented across a wide range of categories, recognising students studying everything from A Levels and vocational courses to adult education, apprenticeships and higher education.

The winners’ stories demonstrated that achievement takes many forms. Alongside exceptional grades and competition successes were examples of students overcoming personal challenges, growing in confidence, supporting their peers and making a difference to their communities.

Among the inspiring stories celebrated were Rose Heatley, who returned to education at the age of 77 to study GCSE Chemistry and achieved a grade 5; Matthew Mackenzie, whose outstanding practical skills in Building Services earned him a reputation among classmates – who called it the ‘Matthew effect’ – for raising the standard of everyone working alongside him; and Taylor Gilligan who managed to complete his plumbing qualification while receiving treatment for and finally overcoming leukaemia.

The awards also recognised achievements with an impact beyond the classroom. Apprentice of the Year Emily Hitching made history as the first woman her employer had recruited as a lift engineer apprentice, helping to open doors for other women in engineering. Meanwhile, the NCC Women’s Basketball Team was celebrated after winning the London Regional Tournament and taking silver at the Association of Colleges National Finals, narrowly missing out on gold by just one point.

Other winners were recognised for their dedication to environmental action, outstanding development and achieving career milestones. Together, their stories illustrated the breadth of talent across the college and the determination shown by students at every stage of their educational journey.

An inspiring message from guest speaker Akil Hunte

The evening also featured an uplifting address from guest speaker Akil Hunte, a multi-award-winning lawyer, public speaker, spoken word poet and social entrepreneur.

Drawing on his own journey, Akil spoke about overcoming adversity, pursuing ambitions and creating opportunities for others. Having faced significant challenges growing up in inner-city London, he went on to achieve considerable success, including winning seven awards at university.

His career has since combined law with mentoring, leadership and social mobility initiatives, and his message offered an inspiring reminder of what can be achieved through self-belief and a willingness to keep moving forward.

Entertainment during the evening came courtesy of Performing Arts students from Havering Sixth Form, who put on a lively Zombies: The Musical Celebration performance, a medley featuring music from the Disney Zombies films.

Fresh from a trip to Disneyland Paris, where they had the opportunity to perform on the theme park stage, the students brought energy and colour to the awards night.

A night to remember

The ceremony concluded with closing remarks from Gerry McDonald CBE, Group Principal and CEO, who said: “What a truly inspirational night. We have recognised some, just some of our incredible students. And what stands out to me is that the path to success is seldom smooth. Failure is part of the journey we must take and we should understand that better. As a society we are often too quick to judge, too superficial in what we call success. I know of no genuine lasting success that was not hard won. There are no easy rides. 

“Real achievement – and we have seen much in evidence here tonight – is the resilience of spirit, the determination to keep going. 

“I have enjoyed meeting our award winners and hearing their remarkable stories. This evening really is the highlight of the New City College year.”