Chris Ellison will celebrate his graduation this week, having seen first-hand how the plans come together.

Chris, who has achieved a Master’s in Translation from Lancaster University, worked as a graduation assistant during his studies and is now pursuing a career in higher education.

He joined Lancaster after completing an undergraduate degree in French and German and applied for a role in the graduation team.

He said: “It’s something that, as a student, you look forward to and I really enjoyed working with the team. I saw just how much work goes into the ceremonies from behind the scenes and I’m looking forward to taking part in graduation in person when we are able to.”

During his time at Lancaster Chris supported the graduation team in a variety of ways, including drafting seating plans and responding to student enquiries. But the highlight for Chris was getting involved in the graduation ceremonies themselves, working alongside a larger team of staff volunteers and seeing students celebrate with their guests.

“There was a real sense of the whole University coming together to provide the best possible experience for the students”, he said.

Chris now works at the University of Birmingham as part of the Graduate Management Training Scheme in Professional Services. He said: “That all stemmed from working with the graduation team at Lancaster – I didn’t necessarily know exactly what I wanted to do but it has everything I want from a job. It is focused on helping people, and there’s a good structure and order to it. I wanted to do something that makes a difference and higher education is a great way of doing that.

“And graduation is making a tangible difference for students and staff. You see all the work going in and it culminates in a fantastic day.”

Chris submitted his Master’s in August and said he really enjoyed his course: “It was great to gain experience of different types of translation, including literary, legal, and medical translation, and there was the opportunity to try interpreting as well. The Department of Languages and Cultures is so supportive and there’s a real sense of community.”