Published on 22 June 2022
On Tuesday 21 June, the Sunderland Futures team hosted the annual Sunderland Professional Awards (SuPA) ceremony to celebrate our exceptional students.
The three-tiered award offers a range of opportunities which help University of Sunderland students become ‘work ready’ by building a portfolio of activity and achievement designed to enhance their CV and add to their qualifications.
This year’s SuPA achievers were invited to Hope Street Xchange, City Campus, for the awards event.
During the awards, there were speeches by University Vice-Chancellor Sir David Bell, employers who have been involved in the panel assessment process, and our SuPA Hero students, who themselves have gone the extra mile and developed their skills and experience by participating in activities outside of the lecture theatre:
Alan Barlow – BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy
“The last three years has been an incredibly positive experience and throughout my studies I have had excellent support from the lecture team with regards to my studies and from the Sunderland Futures team supporting my Bronze, Silver and Gold SuPA awards.
“What is really useful is the way in which the awards are structured, using the STAR technique which can be used for job interviews and indeed is something I used in a successful interview recently. In addition, employers also want to see students having skills and experiences that set them apart from other students and the SuPA award is a practical award that allows students to develop outside of the classroom. I can't recommend it enough.”
Olivia Gallacher – BSc (Hons) Forensic Psychology
“All the staff have been incredible to work with and have really helped me develop my critical thinking, interview techniques, confidence, reflective writing and overall skillset which has been reflected through my university assignments and my work life.
“Thanks to the SuPA award and Sunderland Futures I have graduated with all three SuPA awards and have just been offered a full- time job.
"I would recommend completing as many awards as you can as this really does make the difference when applying for jobs and your overall personal development and growth.”
Irish Chizaramekere Tony-Awusaku – LLB (Hons) Law
“By applying for this award, it is easier to make applications for graduate jobs as I can confidently insert the STAR method as well as the drafting skills which I developed during the application process.
“I would like to thank the entire team for all their words of encouragement as it made me believe in myself and my abilities. They all made an impact during this journey as I benefited in every conversation I had with them regarding the award."
Find out more about Sunderland Futures here.