Students accelerate careers at CERN Like fathers, like sons

Four students are studying for the same degree their fathers completed at Northumbria more than two decades ago

It is not uncommon for sons to follow in their fathers’ footsteps, but four students at Northumbria have taken this tradition quite literally.

Harry Elliot, James Fletcher, Dan Serfontein and Jonathan Yapp are all based in Engineering and Environment where they are studying Real Estate, Planning and Estate Management – more than 25 years after their fathers graduated from the same degrees.

Their fathers all studied at Northumbria in the 1980s and are now highly successful company directors and business leaders in the world of real estate and chartered surveying.

Adam Serfontein, now a Pro Chancellor at Northumbria, graduated in 1987 and went on to become Managing Director of The Hanro Group, one of the largest property investment and development groups in the North East. He is also one of Northumbria’s Governors.

He said: “I’m delighted Dan is studying at Northumbria. I think it’s great that these young men are following in their fathers’ footsteps. It’s testament to the excellence of the Real Estate and Estate Management programmes here at Northumbria.”

His son, Dan, said: “I’ve always continued from page 1 allow the Student Law Office to continue to provide access to justice to many more clients in the future.”

Professor Andrew Wathey, ViceChancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University, said: “Our Queen’s Anniversary Prize was the only one awarded in relation to law this year and it carries a level of prestige that the whole University can be immensely proud of. It also demonstrates the benefit of experiential learning where students manage real-life situations under the guidance of tutors who offer both academic excellence and professional experience. Having developed this approach over many