Special recognition awards for NWRC’s Orla and Kacie from Limavady Campus

Students at North West Regional College (NWRC) have received special recognition awards at the annual Best in Further Education Celebrations at Limavady campus.

Orla Hockley received the Zachary Geddis Award in recognition of her extraordinary perseverance and commitment to successfully completing her Level 2 in Beauty Therapy despite facing profound personal adversity, and Kacie Brown received the Barbara Crone Award due to being a diligent and hard-working student.

Tutors who nominated Orla for the award said: “During the course of her studies, Orla experienced the devastating loss of her father David, a moment that could have shattered her focus and ambitions. However, instead of allowing grief to derail her journey, she demonstrated remarkable strength, determination, and resilience. Her ability to overcome such hardship while maintaining her commitment to completing her course is an inspiration to both peers and staff.”

Orla is now progressing onto Level 3 Beauty Therapy in September 2025 and hopes to run her own business in the future.

Kacie Brown who received the Barbara Crone memorial award is described as having a “fantastic attitude to her studies, continuously display enthusiasm for learning.”

ABOVE: Kacie Brown receives her award from Jeff Crone. Also pictured is NWRC Director of Curriculum and Academic Standards Dr Catherine O'Mullan.

Her tutors said: “Kacie has a full understanding of how to support young children's learning and development. She was able to analyse and evaluate the importance of childcare legislation and the Level 3 Team are very proud of Kacie's achievements this academic year.

Kacie's aspirations are to continue with her studies by applying for the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Children's Care, Learning and Development. 

During the event at Limavady campus, students Bradley Mullan and Rebecca Gavigan also received scholarships from the Honourable the Irish Society to support them in their studies.

At the Strabane Campus celebration, Megan Clarke was presented with Eileen Cairns Scholarship, at Strand Road, Bronagh Downey received the received the Gerard Finnegan Memorial Cup, and Sahar Hassan received the excellence in ESOL award, while Caiden Kyle, Callum Devlin and Kevin Conlon received scholarships from the Honourable the Irish Society to support them in their studies.

Dr. Catherine O’Mullan Director of Curriculum and Academic Standards at NWRC said: “These celebrations end another wonderful year at NWRC marking the personal achievements of students who have completed their studies in over 60 further education programmes across our five main campuses. I offer my sincere thanks to the exceptional teams across all our campuses. Our academic and support staff are second to none, and I know I speak for them when I say how proud we are of all the students.

“I also extend my congratulations to all of our Awards winners this year for their achievements and success.”

The Best in FE Awards celebrate the achievements of Further Education graduates from the College’s campuses across Derry, Strabane and Limavady.

The event is always a highlight in the College calendar and involves the presentation of certificates and prizes to students from the four main curriculum departments across all College campuses.