Henry Etherington is celebrating success after receiving not one but two awards during his graduation ceremony.
The BSc (Hons) Regenerative Agriculture student accepted the Essex Agricultural Society's Award for the 'Best Agricultural Student' and the Worshipful Company of Farmers' Award for the 'Best Dissertation in the Agricultural Department'.
Senior lecturer in agriculture, Henry Matthews, said: "We're incredibly proud of this year's graduating class. They have shown exceptional ability and dedication to their subject. Henry Etherington topped his cohort with outstanding grades and an excellent dissertation."
Henry Etherington epitomises the University College's dedication to 'putting science into practice'. He combined his studies with a hands-on role at a farm in Suffolk, where his understanding of agriculture led to greater responsibility and a more senior position.
Henry said: "I am incredibly grateful to have been awarded with both the Essex Agricultural Society's Award and the Worshipful Company of Farmers Award. I would like to extend my congratulations to all my fellow graduates and express my gratitude to the agricultural and wider land-based studies team at Writtle University College.
"This team has successfully designed a course that addresses the pressing issues in national and global agriculture, both present and future. My experiences at Writtle have profoundly influenced my perspective on the agricultural industry and will undoubtedly continue to shape the decisions I make, as well as those of my fellow graduates, throughout our careers."
Henry and his fellow students are pioneers within their sector. In 2020, Writtle University College became the first educational institution in the UK to offer a degree in regenerative agriculture. The forward-looking course recognises the importance and immediacy of the challenges facing world agriculture and the environments and societies in which we operate. The Class of 2023 includes the first graduates in the country to hold this specialist qualification.
"The agricultural industry needs a new generation of skilled graduates, able to work across disciplines and problem solve by applying new approaches," said Writtle University College's Dr Anya Perera.
"Our students are the thought-leaders of the future and are encouraged to take a progressive approach to farming production systems that encompasses sustainable practice and responds to political, economic and scientific change."
For more information on Writtle University College's agriculture courses, go to writtle.ac.uk/agriculture.