20 February 2026
On Saturday 4 February, East Surrey College was proud to celebrate the success of our ESOL learners at the 6th Young Leaders Graduation, held at the University of Surrey.
The event, delivered in collaboration with the Big Leaf Foundation and in partnership with the School of Law and its Human Rights students, marked a powerful milestone for our Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) ESOL learners.
During the graduation ceremony, students who were part of the programme had the opportunity to deliver powerful speeches, sharing the stories of their lives, experiences, and insights as displaced young people, as well as their hopes and dreams for the future. Five of the seven students graduating came from East Surrey College and demonstrated fantastic growth and development.
In a powerful address, HJ, one of the graduates at this year’s event said:
“When I arrive in this country I felt lost, no friends, no family, no communication. But then I met very kind people who cared about me and supported me. I found out that every human being deserves kindness and love. And when I met Big Leaf, I was curious why they help us with no expectation… But day by day I realised that humanity is alive, there are a lot of people who want to help and support others just because they are human.”
After the awards, ESOL Programme Manager Alam Begum reflected, saying:Â
“I cannot express enough the pride that Nadia, Irene, Ian and I felt. We are truly proud to be part of OSC and to facilitate such impactful projects for our learners.”
Congratulations to our Young Leaders at ESC who shared their stories at the graduation, and thank you to the Big Leaf Foundation and the University of Surrey for the fantastic celebration of our learners.
To find out more about the Young Leaders programme and ESOL opportunities at East Surrey College, visit the Big Leaf Foundation and explore our ESOL courses.
