James Manton is one of more than 2000 students and guests expected to boost the Armidale economy by about $400k during their stay for the Winter Graduation Ceremony.
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About 853 students will receive their graduation certificate (testamur) on the manicured lawns of Booloominbah at the University of New England's Armidale campus from August 26 to 28.
Mr Manton will be arriving from Taree with about 20 of his family and friends to celebrate what will have culminated in three years of hard work and sacrifice.
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The Bachelor of Business student is the first in his family and among his friends to have completed a university degree, and he hopes to set a good example to his younger brother and sister.
"I grew up in poverty, and the Smith Family does an amazing job and they are the reason why I was able to do this degree," Mr Manton said of the 2019 scholarship he received, also providing him with necessities such as textbooks.
Mr Manton was also awarded the UNE Vice-Chancellor scholarship in 2018.
Hotels, motels and motor inns are prepared to fill up with guests in what is expected to be a big weekend for the visitors, academics and local business owners in Armidale.
"We're all staying around pubs and stuff in town," Mr Manton said. "So it's just going to be a big party after the big day out."
The 20-something year-old student will be arriving on Friday for his graduation ceremony on Saturday morning, and returning to Taree on Monday or Tuesday.
"My friends will probably go back early, but my partner and I are going to stay for a few extra nights just to enjoy the town because I have never been to Armidale before," Mr Manton said.
"It's going to be amazing, I am looking forward to seeing everyone there. I am going to try and catch up with a couple of my lecturers."
Like many students studying off-campus via remote correspondence in NSW, Mr Manton has had his own obstacles to overcome as the 2019 bushfires tore through the state, floods devastated homes and the pandemic forced restrictions.
"It was pretty scary, we were stuck in (Taree) for two weeks and there were fires burning all around us, we were putting grass fires out in paddocks," Mr Manton said.
"Then we had major flooding, so I wasn't able to get to work for another two weeks.
"And then Covid hit, so that was pretty rough not being able to see my friends.
"It was a struggle, but I got there in the end."
Mr Manton is applying for jobs but has his sights set on a graduate program at university so he can step up into project management or business development.
"But I want to avoid going to Sydney or some other city because I've grown up in a regional area my whole life and I am not prepared to live in Sydney and pay $700 or $800 rent," he said.
Acting UNE Vice-Chancellor Professor Simon Evans said he is looking forward to welcoming the students, their guests and has invited members of the community to hear from speakers at each of the ceremonies.
"This event means so much to our UNE graduands and their families to mark the end of their studies," Prof. Evans said. "The UNE community is proud to host the influx of people visiting our region."
This is the second graduation ceremony held on the UNE Armidale campus since the 2019 bushfire season, and those students who weren't able to attend because of the recent natural disasters have been invited.
UNE has calculated the $400k figure based on recent years' data, which averages that each graduate invites about 2.5 people, with each guest staying in a $191 per-night motel, hotel or guest house.
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