74 students who graduated from Queen’s Students’ Union’s Inspiring Leaders programme were celebrated at a recent Awards Ceremony in The Great Hall.

The programme, aimed at students who are volunteers in positions of leadership, was developed by Queen’s Students’ Union and is supported by Careers, Employability & Skills and the William J. Clinton Leadership Institute at the University.

Meghan Van Portfleit, a Management PHD student from Colorado and living in Belfast, is an Enactus Team Leader, Students’ Union Councillor and Academic Board Postgraduate Forum member.

On taking part in the programme Meghan stated: “I really loved working in a team, there were so many good ideas and people really were able to work together but also voice their individual ideas. I would definitely recommend this to others! I’m continuing my PhD until 2018 and then I hope to either find a job working in a University doing research, or at a Think Tank like Transparency International.”

Chairman of The Baird Group, Roy E. Bailie and Guest Speaker at the graduation ceremony said, “What has impressed me most is that in addition to studying for their respective degrees [these students] have found the commitment and time to be a volunteer and also the interest to pursue the Inspiring Leaders Programme. For this I applaud them and I believe their efforts will be rewarded as they progress in life.”

The Programme is designed to support and advance the leadership skills of student volunteers who contribute valuable time to the Queen’s community and further afield, by exploring the who, what, why and how of leadership.

Through the programme, graduates also meet Leaders from different walks of life and learn many key skills such as the various styles of communication and learning how to motivate, encourage and support others.

We at Queen’s Students’ Union are extremely proud of our Inspiring Leaders programme. It makes our graduates really attractive to employers by giving them a competitive edge in the job market!