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On the hottest day of the year, the hottest ticket in town was for the start of Â鶹´«Ã½ Leicester (Â鶹´«Ã½)’s graduations.

Over the next seven days hundreds of students will cross the stage at 18 different ceremonies to collect their degrees marking the end of years of hard work.

Summer graduations got underway today with the Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities with proud parents, family and friends packing into Curve Theatre to cheer on the Class of 2023.



Graduands got into the party spirit with some dancing across the stage as they collected their certificates from Pro Vice-Chancellor Education Professor Susan Orr who reminded them that they will always be a part of the Â鶹´«Ã½ family.

Striking a pose outside the Curve after their ceremony were friends from BA Acting Creative Performance Practice, including Abby Ferguson and Kathryn Marper.

“I was quite surprised – in a good way - by how extravagant the ceremony was, and the whole vibe was everyone celebrating and having fun,” said Abby. “I’ve absolutely loved my time at Â鶹´«Ã½. It’s gone so quickly I can’t believe it’s over.” Abby is working at a SEMH (social, emotional and mental health) school in Blaby and hopes to have a career in drama therapy.



Classmate Kathryn Marper was doubly celebrating - she landed an agent while at Â鶹´«Ã½ and learned the morning of her graduation that she has been called to an audition. She said: “A lot of the resources on the course really helped me to get an agent because we do a voice reel and a show reel. I really liked the course because it looks at you as an individual and an artist, and you focus on what your passion is.”

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“I thought the ceremony was really nice, it was quite emotional,” said Economics and Politics graduate Enoch Hazzan, of Essex. “My experience of Â鶹´«Ã½ was really good, I enjoyed the uni and the city I’ve got good memories.”



David Camacho, Interior Design student, said: “It’s been a lot of late nights, a lot of time studying and working hard but I’m so grateful to have finished it. I’ve made so many good friends and got to work on some projects I’m proud of.”

Photography and video student Jurneika Codrai is setting up her own photography business after graduation concentrating on weddings and family portraits. “Studying Photography and Video has really helped to grow my confidence and give me new skills in editing and video that I had never done before.”



Ezgi Elitok and Rhea Patel both studied Interior Design and said one of the best parts of the course was working on live briefs set by companies for the students. “We were given the freedom to experiment and share our own ideas with clients which gave us confidence,” said Rhea. “I feel like we have all discovered ourselves by doing this,” added Ezgi.

Honorary degrees were awarded to artist Andrew Logan and fashion designer Avis Charles, with social justice campaigner Lord Simon Woolley, who grew up in Leicester, collecting an honorary doctorate on Wednesday.