Emmanuel receives prestigious tech award for first class effort

A graduate teaching assistant at the University of Northampton, who overcame academic struggles and is now taking on a PhD, has been awarded an IT Award from the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists (WCIT).

Emmanuel Ofori-Attah enrolled on the Computer System Engineering course in 2014, with limited knowledge about programming, but a determination to learn.

“Whilst many would have quit or changed courses, I decided to continue with the course having faith and believing that God will guide me through even though I was struggling with understanding basic programming concepts,” said Emmanuel. “Despite all these problems, I was able to overcome the obstacles and barriers and achieved a first class degree.”

Emmanuel’s story caught the attention of the WCIT’s judging panel, which awarding him the Outstanding IT Student Prize 2018.

The awards were created to recognise outstanding undergraduate and postgraduate IT students within the UK, with students from 12 universities shortlisted.

Emmanuel said: “This award means a lot to me and most importantly, it shows that no matter how hard, your course is, you can still overcome it.

“What I love about computing is that it allows me to bring my ideas into life. I love how the modules are set up and the support you receive from staff is amazing.  I think the relationship the lecturers create with the students makes the course more enjoyable.

“In the future, I hope to stay in academia and hopefully become a teacher, allowing me to offer back the help I received from my lecturers.”

WCIT Master, and founder of the awards, Dr Stefan Fafinski said: “As well as celebrating academic success, the WCIT Student IT Awards also recognise the remarkable contributions to society these students have made. The fact that they are all acknowledged to be outstanding students makes me very proud to be part of these awards.”