Double Cause For Celebration - Graduation 2015

Today was a day of celebration for 114 BTI – Bethlehem Tertiary Institute students, as they came together from across New Zealand to celebrate the completion of their studies. 

The occasion was marked by graduands parading up Devonport Road, Tauranga behind a piped band, before attending the graduation ceremony at Holy Trinity Church,  The graduates were cheered along by family and whanau waving balloons.

 For one household, this was a double celebration.  Mother and daughter, Sandy and Kristy Hitchens, graduated today with a Bachelor of Counselling degree and a Bachelor of Education (Teaching) Primary degree respectively.  The occasion is even more special for this family because both of them graduated with a distinction!

“We called each other a lot and swapped study tips, which of course was helped along by lots of laughing, phone calls, coffee and chocolate when mum came to Tauranga,” explains Kristy.  

Sandy, who studied at a distance, came back to Tauranga for her intensive onsite blocks and offers this advice for all new students, “Enjoy every moment, appreciate being a student at BTI - this is only the very beginning of learning, you will probably end up studying and learning in this field for the rest of your life -  so relax and make the most of it!!"

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