A graduation surprise, caught on camera

14 Jul 2026

He had no idea what she was about to say. Watch Professor David Poyla's reaction as former student Anna reflects on his support, ahead of her graduation.

Professor David Poyla had no idea what his former student Anna Fitzpatrick was about to say about him.

We didn't tell him. We just pressed play, and let the camera roll.

Anna is graduating on 23 July, after studying an integrated masters in Environmental Science with Industrial Experience. When we asked her about the people who'd shaped her time at Manchester, one name came up straight away.

"He has really helped me through the entire process, from the very start," she said. "Even before my placement, when I didn't know I was doing an integrated masters, he was there for me from day one."

We took that footage and played it back to David, her dissertation supervisor and Professor of Environmental Geochemistry in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

"It's very humbling, actually," he said, once the clip had finished. "She was a lovely person to work with. What a positive ambassador for the university. We're very lucky to have students like that."

We asked David what it feels like, from his side, to watch a student he's supervised reach the end of their degree and graduate.

"Very, very proud of them," he said. "But also thinking it's the beginning of a journey for them. It really is just the beginning. For a lot of it, it's looking forward to seeing where they're going to be in five years' time, or ten years' time. That's one of the most rewarding parts of the job, when we see alumni come back after years, they've been successful, and tell us what they've been doing since."

On Anna specifically, and where he thinks she might go next:

"Anna was great to work with. There's a lot of energy, as you saw from the interview, and it's great to work with people who are passionate about what they do, and have a different perspective on things. For her project, it was originally going to go in one direction, and that was modified after discussions we had. It was a very enjoyable process."

And hearing his own name in Anna's reflections?

"It is nice to hear," he said. "It's good when people are appreciative of what's been done. There's a very good atmosphere here. We have a lot of fantastic people supporting students. It's very nice when people say thank you."

• David wasn't the only name that came up. Students graduating this year spoke about colleagues from right across the University, some familiar faces, some working quietly behind the scenes. You can read more about their impact here.