Here East Scholars' Graduatio­n Ceremony

A brilliant celebration of their achievements and successes, this marked the end of the SUL students’ undergraduate and postgraduate studies as well as two of our scholars’ journeys through the Here East Scholarship Programme – Leon Maduro and Jenny Hoang.

Now in its fourth year of developing the next generation of talent in East London, the Here East Scholarship Programme is open to prospective students living in our surrounding growth boroughs – Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

Aiming to break down barriers for local young people to study at the world-class institutions on our campus, the programme provides full financial support with undergraduate studies and opens doors to invaluable work experience, mentoring, and networking opportunities with the industry-leading experts on our campus.

We were incredibly honoured to be part of this vibrant graduation ceremony, seeing East London’s young innovators graduate in areas such as computer science, cyber security, games design, animation, esports and much more.

Here East CEO, Gavin Poole, shared advice on how to embrace change throughout your career journey in a keynote he gave to the graduates:

“Whilst today marks the ‘end’ of this part of your journey, it is only just the beginning of the next phase. Your degree and your hard work have helped set you on this next chapter of your journey. [...] As you enter the world of work, be true to who you are and be principled. Have integrity, and honesty, be prepared to call others out when they’re wrong, stand up for what is right, and be a team player. But most of all – have fun in what you do.”

We spoke to Leon Maduro, one of our scholarship holders, to hear more about what receiving the Here East Scholarship meant to him as well as his ambitions following graduation:

“Receiving the scholarship was a major weight off my shoulders and allowed me to focus on my education. In addition, I gained work experience within a reputable company and put the knowledge gained through my course into real-world applications.

“I'm looking forward to starting my career and entering the workforce by securing a job in cybersecurity. My interests span across a lot of the fields within cybersecurity, but a Pen Tester [someone who simulates cyberattacks to identify vulnerabilities] is the career path I'm most interested in.”

Thank you Leon and congratulations from all of us at Here East on your fantastic achievements. We are incredibly proud to have been part of your journey and the rest of the SUL Class of 2024’s education journeys and are very excited to see your amazing careers unfold!