A mature student is celebrating achieving the highest possible grade in his healthcare and nursing course two years after emigrating to Wales from Nigeria.

Dolapo Babajide, 38, moved to Pontypridd in September, 2022, to support his pregnant wife who was preparing to study for her Masters degree in Public Health.

While working in a hospital in Wales, Dolapo saw first-hand the impact nurses were having on the lives of patients and decided to embark on an Access to Healthcare and Nursing course at The College, Merthyr Tydfil. Today Dolapo picked up 45 distinctions in his results pack, the highest possible grade in his course. He is now hoping to progress his studies to become a fully qualified registered nurse. You can all read all this morning's full results for Wales here

Read more: A-level results Wales 2024: Updates, celebrations and grade boundaries as students collect their grades

Read more: WJEC grade boundaries for A-level results 2024

Dolapo is just one of the many students celebrating excellent achievement at The College, Merthyr Tydfil, as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. An overall A*-E grade was achieved by 98% of learners, with 23% attaining the very highest A*-A grades. Additionally, 78% of pupils achieved A*-C grades which equates to a 2% improvement of the college’s 2023 results. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter

Dolapo said: “I saw the impact the nurses were having on the patients and it encouraged me to become a nurse, to help people and give back,” he said. “One of the nurses also studied the same course at Merthyr and she inspired me to do the same. The tutors were so supportive and very thorough with the work, we had a great set of tutors.

“They always checked in on my mental and physical health and they helped me balance my work and my studies. I had great work life balance thanks to the college. I couldn’t have achieved these grades without the support of the college or my classmates. Especially as I’m not from the country, they helped me integrate because the education system is completely different in Nigeria. They explained in detail how to carry out tasks, work on assignments and they provided us with all the tools to succeed. I’m very happy to celebrate this great day with my wife and kids who are so proud of me.”