Michelle McLaughlin, the student experience manager for Trafford College Group, has been awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List.
The MBE is an honour awarded to those who have shown outstanding service to their country and their fellow citizens.
Michelle was recognised for her role working with communities across Greater Manchester to provide opportunities for volunteering and skills exchange to support personal and professional development for learners.
The team help students to understand their rights and responsibilities, and encourage pupils to get involved and make a difference in their communities.
They help to provide opportunities for young people to engage with political issues at an early stage of their lives, supporting students from diverse backgrounds to pool their knowledge to make a difference in Greater Manchester.
The students are taught about the democratic process and how to participate in it. They learn about the value of respect and inclusivity, which helps them understand their rights and responsibilities within society.
We spoke to Michelle about how she was approached to be awarded her MBE, and how it’s felt being awarded. Michelle explained that she recieved the call from The Cabinet Office in early December 2022, and she was in total disbelief. She checked the details multiple times before realising the notification was genuine.
“I am delighted and proud to have been recognised in the New Years honours list with an MBE. I consider it a huge privilege and responsibility and will continue to work to provide opportunities that support the social mobility of our students and wider community.”
The role that Michelle has undertaken over the last few years has been extremely important in helping us make sure that we meet our goals as an organisation. She has been instrumental in helping us develop our approach and values, as well as how we work with our students and staff members across campus.
We are incredibly proud of Michelle and we are delighted she has been recognised for her contribution to student engagement at TCG, we look forward to seeing the outstanding opportunities our students get involved in via our student experience team going forward.