A RUSSIAN student who left her family and friends back home to study at Blackburn College has been honoured with a special award at her graduation ceremony.

Sofia Trubitsina arrived in the UK aged only 17, and had to receive a special dispensation from the Home Office and be allocated a special guardianship before her studies due to her age.

The youngest student graduating at the awards ceremony, Sofia now 19, also received the Ede & Ravenscroft Award for Endeavour at the grand ceremony at King George’s Hall.

Sofia came to Blackburn as an international student and enrolled on the HND Business Studies course.

She has graduated with a Distinction.

Sofia came here on her own aged 17, and has been living with a specially selected host family in Blackburn due to her age.

Her programme leader Warren Stanworth put her forward for the award, because he felt she had passionately embraced the challenges of being an international student, including new cultures and surroundings.

The programme has 16 modules, and Sofia was awarded 13 Distinctions and three Merits – an overall distinction for the course – despite English not being her first language.

Mr Stanworth said: “Sofia has displayed respect for her lecturers and peers throughout her course, and has been willing to provide help and advice.

“Being the youngest student in the cohort, Sofia has acted in a way that is befitting and worthy of considerable merit and praise,”

Sofia said: “I loved studying at Blackburn College because people were so nice and friendly.

“I’d like to stay and do a degree top-up course and then eventually a degree.”

Blackburn College has over 100 students from around the world from places including Qatar, the UAE, mainland China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Russia, Nigeria, Japan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. It also has students studying in Blackburn from other members of the European Union.

Dr Allan Lawrence, international development manager, said: “International students benefit the college financially as they pay fees and the also support the local economy by spending money in the shops and businesses of the town.

“However the lasting benefits for the college are the international relationships that develop as a result.

“Students from Blackburn are able to meet students from a range of backgrounds and cultures and these may be the business relationships of the future as well as lasting friendships.

“The college supports the international student by helping them with their application for a study visa, ensuring they are collected from the airport on arrival in the UK and have their accommodation arranged in advance of their arrival.

“ All students at the college benefit from a range of academic and pastoral support and we take our responsibility very seriously as our international students have travelled many thousands of miles to get to Blackburn.”