Graduation 2012 at Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel
The Kingstown College graduation 2012 was truly wonderful. The beautiful Fitzpatrick’s Castle hotel set the scene for an evening that was full of joy, laughter, great conversations and the sounds of old friends catching up. It was, as always, truly special to welcome so many family members who came along to support their loved ones and share with them their wonderful achievement. The magical atmosphere was made all the more special with the welcome offering of mulled wine on arrival with Christmas music to get guests into the festive spirit. Edward Boland then invited guests to take their seats at tables lit up with elegant candelabras which added an air of elegance to the event. Edward welcomed everyone on behalf of the Kingstown College Team and invited Paula King to commence the formal part of the evening. Paula’ speech was uplifting and positive. She reminded everyone of the six needs we have as human beings and also reminded the Graduates of the amazing journey they had just taken. She mentioned their explorations of belief systems, their challenges as they explored their values and gained confidence in their coaching skills. She discussed the importance of truly listening to our clients and the power of asking the correct question to assist our clients to reconnect with their greatness. Paula then welcomed special guest Ms Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD. Mary is a graduate of the Diploma programme and she discussed how she utilises the techniques she learned on the course in her day to day life in politics. Mary particularly mentioned how useful she finds the NLP techniques she learned when she is facing a difficult or challenging interview and she discussed the power of tools such as anchoring. She also reflected that she was not the only member of government who has studied at Kingstown College mentioning a Senator who is also a Graduate and she smiled as she said that perhaps all members of the Government should be trained in coaching techniques! The graduation ceremony followed with Graduates receiving enthusiastic applause as they were called to accept their well -deserved Diplomas. Professional photographer Ronan Hurley was on hand to capture the moment for the graduates and his beautiful photographs can be seen on the Kingstown College Facebook page. Paula then invited graduate of the course Gerry Duffy to close the formal part of the evening. Gerry is a truly inspirational human being. His amazing achievements include completing 32 marathons in 3 2 days and completing the UK Deca -Ironman Challenge. In order to do this he swam 3.8km, cycled 186km and ran a marathon (42km) and he did this for 10 consecutive days, amazing! Gerry spoke about the small steps and the importance of belief systems. He left everyone feeling truly uplifted. Following the formal part of the evening guests enjoyed a light supper and a continuation of stimulation conversations. Many graduates talked about the genuine changes they had experienced on the programme and the positive impact it had on their lives. One graduate summed it up by saying “My way of being in this world has changed completely, I see the world in a different more positive way and my way of dialoguing and interacting has created positive differences which really has enhanced my life”