Guest speaker at our Graduation Ceremony was former athlete Kriss Akabusi, MBE, MA.

Students from Lambeth College celebrated their success at Level 3 and above at a Graduation Ceremony at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank.

Lambeth College students celebrate success with sporting legend Kriss Akabusi

Former Olympic and World Champion athlete, and now inspirational speaker Kriss Akabusi joined 250 proud students last weekend as they donned traditional caps and gowns to celebrate their achievements at our 2011 Graduation Ceremony.

Following the popularity of last year’s ceremony, the College chose the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Hall at London’s Southbank Centre to honour students achieving qualifications at Level 3 and above. 


The sporting legend, famous for his achievements in athletics gave a rousing keynote speech that led to a standing ovation by graduates, their guests and members of College staff. Central to his message was the importance of lifelong learning. ‘Life is a journey, not a destination,’ he said. ‘The achievements we are celebrating today are just the beginning; the past is for reference not residence. Take what you have achieved and move forward to achieve your goals’.

The graduates were then treated to a re-run of Kriss’s 1991 triumph at the World Championships in Tokyo where he helped the British team clinch gold medal in the 4 x400 metre relay.

Lambeth College’s students have achieved qualifications in a diverse range of subjects including Construction, Accounting, Counselling, Childcare and Motorcycle Maintenance. Many students have studied hard to complete their qualifications. They have studied at College as well as in the workplace to improve their promotion prospects, acquire new skills and qualifications, gain entrance to university or launch their own businesses.

The OCN Outstanding Student Award 2011

Professor Daniel Khan from the Open College Network (OCN), who sponsored the OCN Outstanding Student Award at the ceremony, joined senior staff and governors on stage. This year’s award went to Jonathan Bello who studied the Medicine and Medical Biosciences course achieving 84 Level 3 credits and 42 distinctions in his final exams. Jonathan is now studying Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Westminster.

Peter Doble, Acting Principal of Lambeth College joined Mr Akabusi in congratulating each student individually as they took to the stage to loud and rapturous applause from fellow students, family members and friends.

In his opening speech the Acting principal congratulated students for their hard work and perseverance. He said: ‘With your new qualifications you have more choice and can now take the next step in your careers. The world is waiting for you.’

Lambeth College students celebrate in style

Business student Kolsuma Sultana attended the ceremony with sister Fahima. She said: ‘Today is about celebrating everything I learned at Lambeth College and the great rewards it brought me. I’m now studying a BA (Hons) Degree in Human Resource Management at Greenwich University.’

Motorcycle Maintenance and Repair students Peter McCann, June Archer and Shannon Sullivan all attended together. June said: ‘We studied together and supported each other throughout our course. We became great friends and today we celebrate together in real style.’

Simon Whittle, another successful Business student, achieved triple distinctions in his final exams. He said: ‘Lambeth College gave me a second chance at being a success. I came here and was guided and supported brilliantly by my tutors. Now I’m studying for a degree in Marketing and Communications at the University of Westminster.

Newspaper Journalism student Yvonne Gordon was very complimentary about her experience at Lambeth College. She said: “My course was brilliant. Our tutor was an experienced and practicing journalist for national newspapers and the course covered everything we needed to become professional journalists and writers.’

Proud sponsors of the 2011 Lambeth College Graduation Ceremony included: Hotcourses magazine, Elmscott Advertising, Tangerine UK Ltd, First Stop Print, PTG Digital, J2Profit, Janet Edwards florist, Marcus Miller PR, and law firm Thomas Eggar.