Spotlight shines on hundreds of NESCol graduates at Aberdeen ceremonies

October 8, 2025

The historic Music Hall in Aberdeen provided a fitting backdrop as North East Scotland College’s latest graduates were encouraged to go and make their mark on the future of the region.

NESCol’s role as a driving force in traditional industries and in new and emerging sectors was highlighted during two graduation ceremonies held on Tuesday (7 October).

Around 300 former students and Modern Apprentices celebrated gaining their qualifications, with Principal and Chief Executive Neil Cowie urging the class of 2025 to use their achievements as a platform for the next chapter in their lives.

He said: “Generations of college students have underpinned industries that have been integral to the economic success of the North East and that will continue to be the case for generations to come.

“We take enormous pride in the role that our former students play in so many sectors and in so many different ways, putting the knowledge and skills they have built to great use. Our teaching is constantly evolving to meet the needs of employers and we are committed to continuing to shape what we do in collaboration with the businesses we serve.

“For some of the cohort we celebrated this week the next step will be in industry, for others it will be continuing the journey in education or training. They have given themselves a fantastic springboard with the diligence, enthusiasm and skill they have demonstrated during their time with NESCol.”

Tuesday’s ceremonies, hosted by BBC Scotland presenter Fiona Stalker, included the presentation of three prizes. The NESCol Apprentice of the Year Award was won by Taylor McGruther, of Maskame and Tait in Peterhead, whilst Stacie Street was named as the recipient of the MHA Excellence in Accounting Award. The Scottish Qualifications Authority Student Award was presented to social sciences graduate Kelsey Cooper.

Morning ceremony

MODERN APPRENTICESHIP BUSINESS AND ADMINISTRATION  – Aedan Caird (Newmacher), Nicole Cheyne (Banff), Amy Craigmile (Inverurie), Bruce Duncan (Aberdeen), Kayleigh Finlay (Aberdeen), Finn Gordon (Ellon), Brooke Gourlay (Aberdeen), Robyn Henry (Dyce), Savanah Hunter (Macduff), Mollie Jamieson (Torphins), Kathryn Mathers (Inverurie), Taylor McGruther (Peterhead), Tegan Robertson (Aberdeen).

MODERN APPRENTICESHIP HAIRDRESSING –Hollie Forsyth (Peterhead), Emilie Peters (Inverbervie).

MODERN APPRENTICESHIP MECHANICAL ENGINEERING – Stephanie Fenty (Turriff).

MODERN APPRENTICESHIP WAREHOUSING AND STORAGE – Calum Buchan (Aberdeen), Jack Williams (Inverurie).

SVQ MANAGEMENT –Shaun Bothwell (Aberdeen).

HND 3D COMPUTER ANIMATION – Isla Armstrong (Ellon),Oliver Bain (Insch), John Buchan (Peterhead), Lenny Fox (Banff), Margaret Lowe (Bridge of Don).

HNC ACCOUNTING –Sara Dow(Aberdeen), Ewelina Kloska (Aberdeen), Phil Reid (Aberdeen).

HND ACCOUNTING – Martyna Banasiak (Aberdeen), Adam Brown (Aberdeen), Lauren Diack (Inverurie), Marta Dluska (Aberdeen), Norbert Guzik (Aberdeen), Odette Jones (Stonehaven), Ana Kalveliene (Aberdeen), Aimee McIntyre (Montrose), Banthita Meeyod (Aberdeen), Kim Murdoch (Aberdeen), Josh Murray (Inverurie), Liam Proctor (Aberdeen), Stacie Street (Aberdeen), Paul Taylor (Aberdeen), Hayden Thomson (Huntly), Weronika Wolszczak (Cults).

HND ACTING AND PERFORMANCE – Hannah Brown (Aberdeen), Jessica McWilliam (Westhill).

HND ADMINISTRATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY – Kai Brown (Aberdeen), Igor Chudzik (Aberdeen), Connor Duguid (Inverurie), Caitlin Finlayson (Tain), Daniel Grant (Aberdeen).

HNC BUSINESS – Madison MacLeod (Bridge of Don).

HND BUSINESS – Morgan Buchan (Peterhead), Amy Conway (Strathcarron), Ryan Coull (Bridge of Don), Jamie Gordon (Banff), Jasmine Keir (Inverurie), Caitlin Lanigan (Aboyne), Maryam Logunleko (Dyce), Megan Meikle (Turriff), Nwamaka Obi (Aberdeen), Katie Oliver (Inverurie), Yulia Sorokina (Aberdeen), Anna Stadnyk (Aberdeen).

HNC CONTEMPORARY ART PRACTICE – Julia Gajer (Stonehaven).

HND CONTEMPORARY ART PRACTICE – Abby Aiken (Aberdeen), Aoife Cameron (Ellon), Freya Campbell (Aberdeen), Alyssa Christie (Dyce), Hannah Fayers (Bridge of Don), Katie Fletcher (Banchory), Abbie McGunnigle (Huntly).

HND CREATIVE MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION – JOURNALISM  – Alfie Fraser (Newport-on-Tay), Hugo Lightening-Youngs (Insch), Keris Meston (Portlethern), Ryan Murray (Kingswells), Liam Will (Aberdeen).

HND CREATIVE MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION – PRODUCTION –Mikel Brown (Aberdeen), Leonardo Cameron (Aberdeen), Nathan Donn (Aboyne).

HNC FASHION BUSINESS – Flavio Centeio (Aberdeen), Daisy Dias (Aberdeen), Julieta Salazar Gonzalez (Aberdeen).

HNC LEGAL SERVICES – Katie Sutherland (Inverurie).

HND LEGAL SERVICES –Zara Hutchison (Aberdeen), Iryna Ignatieva (Aberdeen), Isabelle Kurt-Meyer (Peterhead), Irum Rizwan (Aberdeen), Maliha Tasnim (Aberdeen), Gustavo Vivas Luque (Cults), Nikki Weir (Aberdeen).

HND MUSIC – Iona Davies (Inverurie),Mickey Dugan (Ellon), Michala Mildorfova (Aberdeen), Katelyn Urquhart (Fraserburgh).

HND PHOTOGRAPHY – Chloe Abel (Aberdeen), Hannah Adams (Aberdeen), Sophie Beverly (Huntly), David Boag (Elgin), Ebony Brien (Buckie), Lucy Buchan (Aberdeen), Casie Cameron (Inverness), Mairi Douglas (Aberdeen), David-Alan Fraser (Bridge of Don), Agnieszka Gumienniczuk (Aberdeen), Alexandra Kelman (Banchory), Tamara Kilpatrick (Fraserburgh), Katarzyna Kutkowska (Aboyne), Charlotte McKenzie (Aberdeen), Isla McNab (Fraserbugh), Palmer Matthew (Aberdeen), Lucy Mileham (Montrose), Katy Mitchell (Balmedie), James Murison (Peterculter), Charlotte Pegg (Aberdeen), Rachel Robson (Portlethen), Martyna Sowinska (Aberdeen), Daniela Tauzowska (Dyce), Alyssa Wood (Portlethen), Stacey Wood (Aberdeen).

HND SOUND PRODUCTION – Justin Davidson (Inverurie).

HNC TELEVISION (NEXTGEN) – Renata Roche (Aberdeen).

HND TELEVISION (NEXTGEN) – Bryce Falconer (Inverurie), MJ Raitt (Aberdeen), Kieron Williamson (Westhill).

HND TEXTILES – Thea Carr (Peterculter).

HNC VISUAL COMMUNICATION – Gabriel-Shane Emslie (Aberdeen).

HND VISUAL COMMUNICATION – Chyvonne Gill (Aberdeen), Emily Hill (Bridge of Don), Emily Ivers (Maryculter), Estere Leve (Aberdeen), Corey McGill (Arbroath), Anya Mowat (Inverurie), Erin Ormes (Inverurie).

FOR HNC APPLIED SCIENCE – Rama Al Fadel (Inverurie).

HNC COMPUTING (NEXTGEN) – Tobe Oji (Aberdeen).

HND COMPUTING (NEXTGEN) – Masego Mathibako (Aberdeen), Noah Paxton (Aberdeen).

HND CYBER SECURITY –Alistair Cumming (Aboyne).

HND GAMES DESIGN (INCLUDING DIGITAL DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT) – Karina Banach (Aberdeen), Rachel Byron (Bridge of Don), Ethan Gray (Portlethen), Michael Smith (Inverurie), Kyle Sutherland (Insch), Ian Thom (Aberdeen).

HND WEB DEVELOPMENT (including Digital Design & Development) -Radoslav Vidis (Aberdeen), Viera Vidis (Aberdeen).

HND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING – Reigan Thomson (Westhill).

Afternoon ceremony

HNC CHILDHOOD PRACTICE – Adriana-Julia Adorian (Aberdeen), Sandra Basta (Turriff), Miji Choi (Aberdeen), Nikola Duzynska (Aberdeen), Christeena George (Aberdeen), Lauren Gerrie (Keith), Erin Gunn (Aberdeen), Abbie McKay Aberdeen), Aimee McKay (Aberdeen), Katie Mitchell (Inverurie), Alayna Pimbley (Portlethen), Douglas Reid (Aboyne), Jelyn Waites (Inverurie).

PDA CHILDHOOD PRACTICE – Chevone Levy (Peterhead), Christopher Malcolm-Williamson (Aberdeen), Lauren Martin (Portlethen), Jacqueline Turner (Peterhead), Mary Turner (Huntly).

HNC HEALTHCARE PRACTICE – Jessika Adams (Bridge of Don), Aishat Agunbiade (Aberdeen), Kacey Bruce (Aberdeen), Darcy Graham (Aberdeen), Oliver Graham (Aberdeen), Danielle Hepburn (Westhill), Lucy Innes (Aberdeen), Hannah McCluskey (Banff), Madison Michelle (Peterhead), Leah Noble (Fraserburgh), Freya Nolan (Aberdeen), Jenna Paterson (inverness), Kirsty Spiden (Stonehaven).

HNC SOCIAL SCIENCES – Luca Allen (Ellon), Emma Buchan (Fraserburgh), Demi Burnett (Aberdeen), Alistair Grant (Aberdeen), Ayodele Joseph (Aberdeen), Ellice MacKenzie (Inverurie), Kim MacRae (Ellon), Emily Melvin (Bucksburn), Catherine Ross (Aberdeen), Isla Scott (Insch).

HND SOCIAL SCIENCES – Sophie Brebner (Stonehaven), Faye Catto (Aberdeen), Kelsey Cooper (Inverurie), Liancy De Los Santos Wade (Aberdeen), Skyla Deans (Aberdeen), Joanne Dias (Aberdeen), Keeley Falconer (Newmacher), Alexandra Findlay (Inverurie), Leah Houston (Aberdeen), Amelia Lamont (Bucksburn), Emily Lucas (Aberdeen), Mati Lumgair (Peterhead), Jaime McGregor (Aberdeen), Tegan Muir (Aberdeen), Ellen Murray (Bridge of Don), Jamie Osterberger (Aberdeen), Jamie Rennie (Aberdeen), Alia Richmond (Aberdeen), Joanne Smart (Inverurie), Daria Stelmakh (Aberdeen), Freya Stewart (Peterhead), Mandy Stewart (Aberdeen).

HNC SOCIAL SERVICES – Terri-Lee Borwick (Fraserburgh), Ellie Bruce (Aberdeen), Kamila Bukowska (Aberdeen), Jessica Charles (Aberdeen), Yasmine Constable (Aberdeen), Minika Gajdamowicz (Aberdeen), Rahwa Gebremedhin (Aberdeen), Kyle Mark Greig (Aberdeen), Ellen Higginbotham (Westhill), Badra Makhloufi (Aberdeen), Megan Merson (Dyce), Mischa-Lee Milne (Turriff), Morgan Reid (Aberdeen), Joely Reynolds (Aberdeen), Caitlin Ritchie (Aberdeen), Rachel Slessor (Inverurie), Katarzyna Stratford (Aberdeen), Alana Summers (Peterhead), Sophie Thomson (Stonehaven), Sara Wilson (Aberdeen), Sarah-Louise Wilson (Bucksburn).

HNC COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES – Katy Allan (Aberdeen), Maya Burnett (Inverurie), Millie Chalmers (Bucksburn), Sergii Chetverikov (Aberdeen), Teagan Henderson (Bridge of Don), Dana Hepburn (Fraserburgh), Claire James (Aboyne), Stacey Kenyon (Stonehaven), Leanne Main (Aberdeen), Janelle Mann (Aberdeen), Jessica McBain (Portlethen), Dilys Milnes (Bridge of Don), Abbie Pinkerton (Aberdeen), Sofia Ross (Inverurie).

HND FITNESS HEALTH AND EXERCISE –Blake Bradley (Aberdeen), Tiphannie Craig (Aberdeen), Conor Downey (Aberdeen), Ben Middleton (Huntly), Caira Ogbu (Blackburn), Rhiann Sadler (Aberdeen), Kerin Watt (Newmacher), Lucy Whalley (Peterhead).

HND SPORTS COACHING AND DEVELOPMENT – Ben Campbell (Huntly), Arran Carroll (Dyce), Luke Cavadias (Aberdeen), Sophie Collins (Aberdeen), Emma Crawford (Westhill), Hannah Crighton (Peterhead), Matthew Dalgarno (Aberdeen), Ben Duguid (Inverurie), Frédéric Forget (Aberdeen), Holly Jackson (Ellon), Callum Kelly (Ellon), Caitlin Legge (Potterton), Stephanie Mackie (Bucksburn), Jacob McArthur (Forres), Kayla McCaig (Aberdeen), Jemma McCormick (Aberdeen), Joe Paton (Montrose), Benjamin Reid (Bucksburn), Kayla Reid (Westhill), Joel Thomson (Inverurie), Matthew Threadgold (Inverurie), Ruby Watt (Aberdeen),  Calum Winchester (Inverurie), Zack Yule (Aberdeen).

HND TRAVEL AND TOURISM – Morrin Grant (Ellon), Sigita Jancijuk (Aberdeen), Poppy Pinch (Aberdeen), Lily Pirie (Dyce), Alessia Vacante (Aberdeen)

CIPD ASSOCIATE DIPLOMA – Lucy Wojkcicka (Aberdeen).

CIPD ADVANCED DIPLOMA – Lynn Laing (Banff).