A Graduation, Ten Years in the Making for Local Councillor
Ross-on-Wye councillor Ed O’Driscoll finally got the chance to graduate this week, ten years after completing his Master’s degree at Birmingham City University.
The long-awaited ceremony took place at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, marking a moment Ed had put on hold since 2014. Despite finishing his studies a decade ago, he missed his original graduation after the sad passing of his father, on the very day he was due to graduate.
Now, ten years later, Ed returned to collect his certificate and close that chapter.
“It was bittersweet,” he said, “but I know he would have been proud.”
His story is a moving reminder that some milestones are worth waiting for and it’s never too late to celebrate the achievements that matter.
The below article is from Birmingham City University:
A BCU Alumnus who had to pull out of his graduation ceremony 10 years ago has finally crossed the stage this week during summer graduations.
Ed O’Driscoll, who completed an MA in Social Media in 2015, was unable to attend his graduation ceremony, after his father sadly passed away on the day that he was due to graduate from BCU.
He said: “In 2015, my father was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Sadly, the illness progressed very quickly. He was very interested in my decision to return to education as a mature student, and I remember we discussed the date of my graduation as he was hoping to attend.
“Sadly, the last few weeks of his life he had to be heavily sedated, but there has always been a part of me that believed he held on for as long as he did because he had my Graduation date in his head. He died the day I was supposed to attend.”
10 years on from the devastating time in Ed’s life, he has finally been able to celebrate his achievements at a graduation ceremony this week for students from Arts, Design and Media courses.
He said: “10 years on from that sad time, I think it’s a lovely tribute to his memory that I’ve finally been able to collect my award. I like to think he’d be proud.
“My study at BCU was something of a watershed moment in my professional career. The two years I spent studying social media gave me a range of transferable skills that have helped me enormously across a range of interests in my personal as well as my working life.
“To be able to graduate is an act of remembrance for my father but also a celebration of what I’ve achieved in subsequent years.”
In 2022, Ed suffered a heart attack and feels luckier than ever to be alive and celebrating the achievements he has had in his life to date.
He said: “I feel incredibly lucky this week; lucky to be alive, lucky to have had the opportunity to study at BCU, lucky to have my family with me and lucky to have been given the opportunity to graduate a decade later than I should have.”
