A former Wyke College Computing student has been presented with a highly sought after Helena Kennedy Foundation award in a ceremony at the House of Lords. Emma Challis received her award from human rights lawyer and peer Baroness Helena Kennedy QC in recognition of her achievements in reaching higher education.

The Helena Kennedy Foundation supports students who face serious disadvantage, studying at Further Education colleges, to access higher education through bursaries, mentoring and work placements to support their ongoing success in education.

Emma will receive a £1500 bursary to support their costs while studying at university and have access to mentoring and work shadowing opportunities. Whilst at Wyke, Emma achieved Distinctions in every one of her 18 BTEC National Diploma IT units and, along with her success in other subjects, left college with a whopping 640 UCAS points.

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, President of the Foundation, said: “I am delighted to have presented Emma with one of our awards in recognition of her huge achievements in reaching university against the odds. Each student who receives an award has been selected because they are special and have shown real talent and determination.”

Wes Streeting, Chief Executive of the Helena Kennedy Foundation, said: “Making the leap from college to university can be a big step and we know there are so many talented people out there who have the ability to succeed in higher education, but still miss out on the opportunity. Our Foundation works with colleges across the UK to support students to overcome real disadvantage to ensure that the doors of our universities are genuinely open to all with the ability. Wyke College should be justifiably proud of the talented student they have produced and we look forward to working with Emma Challis to help them get the most out of studying at university.”

In recognition of her outstanding achievement at Wyke, Emma also received a scholarship from Hull University where she is now studying Computer Science.