Francesco has studied hard over the past year and this was recognised by lecturer Dawn Wilson, who nominated him for the award.

On nominating Francesco, Dawn said: “I nominated Francesco as I wanted to acknowledge his commitment and dedication to his studies, and the exceptional quality of his work which was consistently beyond the scope of what was required.

“Throughout the HND course Francesco showed great commitment and dedication to his studies by continuously furthering his learning experience through extensive additional research. This lead to new ideas and concepts being discussed in class and shared with peers to enhance the overall learning experience for all students.

“Despite being a reserved individual he would always constructively contribute to class discussions and would provide unconditional help and support to his peers to assist with their coursework.”

At graduation Francesco said: “I really didn’t expect it, I’m so happy and so honoured to get the award. My time at college has been a great experience, I came from another country and I always feel welcome here. This college was the perfect environment for me, I received a lot of support and everyone has been very helpful.”