Celebrating on Graduation Day

The School of Welsh’s Graduation ceremony was held  at St David’s Hall in the city centre on 13 July 2016.

This year the School was celebrating the success of 44 undergraduate and postgraduate students. Seven students from the undergraduate cohort received First Class Honours degrees while six students were presented with MA Welsh and Celtic Studies degrees, four earned their MPhil and one achieved their PhD.

The ceremony was followed by a reception, held in Cardiff University’s Main Building, where the GJ Williams Memorial Prizes were awarded to two undergraduate students. The prize is given in honour of the noted scholar who lectured at Cardiff University for 36 years at the beginning of the last century. The prizes recognise the academic achievement and final degree results of the winning students.

Morgan Owen and Steffan Bryn were the recipients this year, from an exceptional cohort of students. Steffan was an enthusiastic and busy student during his studies, spending two years as the Welsh Officer for the Student Union.  Morgan was also a committed student and came to the School without an A Level in Welsh but leaves with a First Class Honours Degree and a bright future ahead of him.

Professor Sioned Davies, Head of the School of Welsh, said: “Steffan and Morgan are completely deserving of the GJ Williams prize. They both worked very hard throughout their undergraduate studies while contributing significantly to the social and community life of the School and the University.

“It was a pleasure to present them with the prizes during the Graduation reception, a special occasion for the students and their families but also for us as a School. We wish all of our 2016 graduates every success for the future and we look forward to keeping in touch and hearing of their achievements.”

Many of the School’s new graduates have already secured jobs or will be embarking upon further study. Employability is very important to the School and the most recent statistics show that 100% of students are working full time or undertaking further study within six months of graduating.