A Newcastle College student is celebrating after being recognised at the Pearson BTEC Awards 2022.
Tahreema Khatun was named BTEC Art and Design Learner of the Year at Pearson headquarters in London. Having run consecutively for the last 12 years, the BTEC Awards recognise the hard work and dedication of students and teachers from all over the world.
The 20-year-old's achievements stood out among a strong group of candidates and the judges, felt that her passion and talent for photography put her above the other candidates.
Tahreema has achieved a lot during the completion of her course, including being a photographer for the Great North Run. However this is made all the more impressive by the fact that not only was she born profoundly deaf, but English is also her second language. She also started to teach her classmates at College British Sign Language.
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Tahreema, who has completed her studies at Newcastle College, has huge future ambitions for her photography career and says her confidence is something she gained through the support she received during her time at college.
She said: “I can’t believe I’ve won this award. Growing up I always felt isolated trying to fit into the hearing world and pretending I understood what was happening around me. Since joining college and attending the BTEC photography course, I have developed into a strong and confident woman.
"This award has inspired me to achieve my dreams in the future. Hopefully my learner journey will help young children to overcome any barriers, and to strive to do the best they can."
“The support I’ve received at Newcastle College has been so helpful. I looked at different colleges but the support they offered didn’t compare to Newcastle College. I’ve enjoyed it here and it was definitely the right place for me.”
Catherine Shield, the tutor who nominated Tahreema for the award, said: "Tahreema has overcome so many barriers and challenges to succeed in her BTEC. She is not only deaf but as a Muslim girl she is also very passionate about advocating for Muslim girls and women, and for young deaf people too.
"She is a real example of being able to do whatever it is that you want to do, and not letting anything hold you back.
“This has really boosted her confidence and since then she’s had a real drive to succeed, completing a placement in a photography studio which she received amazing feedback for. She is always out working or in the studio and some of the work she has produced is outstanding.
"Seeing her grow and develop as a photographer and a young person has been wonderful to see and I’m thrilled she’s been recognised with this award, we’re all so proud of her."
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