Graduation is always special but one De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) student has capped off years of hard work with a slap-up meal, cocktails, glamorous hair-do and more – all on DMU.
Kellie Hughes was the lucky winner of the university’s Winter Ultimate Graduation prize, which it opened to all final year students set to celebrate the end of their course at the ceremonies being held this month.
But winning the prize was even luckier than usual for the 22-year-old, for if not for one snap decision, she would not have been graduating at all.
She said: “I actually finished my Business Management and Law BA back in September but my parents couldn’t make the ceremony.
“I’m the first person in our family to go to university and they were so proud I wanted to wait until now so they could be there. So I’d never have entered this time if it wasn’t for that.
“I guess it was meant to be. It’s such a good prize, my friend and I are going to use the Chutney Ivy meal as a double date.”
For winning the first prize, Kellie bagged:
- Free gown hire and graduation photography from William Northam
- A £150 Highcross voucher
- A haircut at Malcolm Murphy Hair
- A wine package at Veeno
- A family meal at Michelin recommended restaurant, Chutney Ivy
She said: “I’m really excited about graduating. I’ve loved being at DMU, there’s so much to get involved with; I was a member of the Politics Society and that was great fun.
“I’m going to miss the people I’ve known here but I’m keen to start my own business.”
RELATED NEWS
Foxes star Fuchs signs partnership with DMU creating new student opportunities
Claudio Ranieri wins another title after being given honorary award by DMU
100 students win free #NoFuchs Given t-shirts Foxes star
Shaf Islam, part-owner at Chutney Ivy, had a poignant reason for wanting to offer a prize.
He said: “My own son Samee died in the last year of his studies and he never got to graduate. This, perhaps, is a way of making sure a DMU graduate gets the kind of day Samee could have had.
“It’s also a way for us to support the local community so we were happy to help.”
Lewis Drewe, national business development manager at Veeno, said: “As a new business to the city we wanted to show our support within the local area and introduce everyone to the Veeno experience and the best way to do that is to taste.”
Posted on Friday 27 January 2017