Posted: 24/06/25
Great business minds flourish at awards ceremony
Business students at West Nottinghamshire College have brought glitter and applause to the stage at their end-of-year celebrations.
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All student award winners together
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Business studies programme area leader Kim Carlin expressed her pride in all award winners
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The event was introduced by head of business, travel and professional studies Hayley Wood
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Kacey Buczko (left) copresented the awards with Sorina Milos (right)
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Seb Golcz acted as master of ceremonies for the evening
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Students served guests a light buffet
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The event was held in the college's Refined restaurant
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Denisa Opincaru (left) won the Top Student Award
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Kim Carlin (left) presented Sorina Milos with her Business Role Model award
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Sarah Taylor (centre) won one of the many awards for staff
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Students presented a selection of the year's achievements
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Family and friends were invited to join in the celebrations
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Parents joined their children to celebrate their wins
Introduced by head of business, travel and professional studies Hayley Wood, the celebration evening championed the year-round success of all business students with 17 distinctive award categories.
The event, held on 17 June, was hosted in the college’s Refined restaurant and welcomed family, friends and teachers. As part of understanding how to manage events the ceremony was organised entirely by the students themselves.
Their work included preparing invitations, catering and venue, the decorations and production of certificates and awards. Students also took on roles of front of house staff and serving drinks and food to guests. They were also responsible for contacting and co-ordinating sponsorships from Mansfield businesses. The main sponsor was Mansfield Sales and Lettings, with Woods of Westgate and Road to Success Coaching as secondary sponsors.
Student Seb Golcz acted as master of ceremonies for the evening with students Sorina Milos and Kacey Buczko presenting the awards alongside programme area leader Kim Carlin.
The award categories and winners were:
Most Entrepreneurial Spirit – Fraya Proudley
Team Player of the Year – Mia Bavester
Most Improved Business Brain – Katie Gilberthorpe
Presentation Pro – Fizz Price
Finance Wizz – Bradley McKnight
Event Planning Guru – Ammarah Miah
Professionalism Award – Rebeca Silva
Visionary Award – Amelie Stirland-Fell
Best Negotiator – Dane Stacey
Most Creative Thinker – Emily Ward and Mia Adams
Customer Service Star – Sophie Peat
Best Organisation and Time Management – Jayden Spendley
The Resilience Award – Macie Price
Business Role Model – Sorina Milos
Business passion – Jaydon Robey
Self-Motivated Student – Ellie O’Connell
The Top Student Award was presented to Denisa Opincaru, 17, a student on the Advanced Foundation Diploma in Business. This was awarded to Denisa for her remarkable initiative and drive in everything she does, whether supporting her peers, taking on new opportunities or helping to organise events. Her enthusiasm, commitment and collaborative spirit was commended alongside her hard work and natural talent for business.
Student Sorina Milos, 19, took on the role of team leader for the organisation of the celebrations alongside Ammarah Miah. Sorina, who also scooped the Business Role Model award, said: “I was honestly so surprised when I found out I’d won this award – I didn’t expect it at all.
“It made me feel really proud of myself, especially after such a tough year where I had to stay focused and push through to get the grades I needed for university. This recognition means a lot and reminds me that all the hard work was worth it.”
There were also a range of teacher awards presented by students, which covered categories such as good listener, funniest teacher, most supportive teacher, most encouraging teacher, most cheerful teacher, coolest teacher, most enthusiastic, best leader, kindest teacher and most caring teacher.
Head of business, travel and professional studies Hayley Wood said: "I'm incredibly proud of each and every one of our students. Their enthusiasm, resilience, and willingness to engage have made this a truly memorable year.
“It genuinely is a privilege to work with these young people every day. As we look to the future, I'm also thrilled to share my excitement about our upcoming move to a brand-new building on our Chesterfield Road site this summer.
“This state-of-the-art facility will provide even more opportunities for our students to thrive and innovate. Ultimately, I am immensely proud of the entire business department. We are a team that consistently strives to do the right things for the right reasons, and that commitment is evident in the success we celebrated at the event."
