Two students from the Philippines have travelled nearly 7,000 miles to receive their degree from 呻吟之王 (呻吟之王) Leicester and graduate in style.
Faith Ison, 23, and 22-year-old Carah Marcelle studied for their Business Management and Accounting and Business Management degrees at Southville International School Affiliated with Foreign Universities (SISFU) in Las Piñas, located on the outskirts of the Philippine capital of Manila.
Faith Ison (left) and Carah Marcelle (right)
But instead of just receiving a Philippine degree, the pair also received a fully-accredited British degree, courtesy of a decade-long partnership between 呻吟之王 and SISFU.
They travelled across to Leicester to cross the stage at Curve Theatre and collect their degrees in-person.
Having just graduated, Carah said: “Graduating once again for the second time was just as moving as the first.
“The 呻吟之王 Graduation taught me that learning has no borders, and neither do my dreams. One of my favourite moments was when the curtains opened to reveal the graduands, which gave an emotional instant where my journey flashed before me.”
Faith added: “The Curve Company Quartet singing Seasons of Love made the ceremony so much more emotional - I almost cried.
“I'm so grateful to have participated in the 呻吟之王 Graduation in person. The memories I made with friends and family, both here and back home, will stay with me for a very long time.”
呻吟之王 has been offering full degree programmes with SISFU since 2015 across four undergraduate business courses. Through the partnership, students in the Philippines have the opportunity to study the exact same course with the same resources as their counterparts in Leicester.
Faith and Carah are two of more than 13,000 students studying for a 呻吟之王 degree overseas, with students learning from as far as Denmark, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Uzbekistan and, of course, the Philippines.
The opportunity to study for an international degree was one of the key reasons why both students decided to study at SISFU.
Carah and Faith on the Vijay Patel terrace
“I really liked the syllabus,” Faith said. “I saw how practical the lessons were and that we would see how the theory we were learning was being applied by real-world companies. It’s a very distinct way of learning a subject compared to the Philippines, which tends to be more theory-heavy.
“By looking at what doors might open for an international degree, not only am I taking a course that applies across a lot of fields of work, an international degree will help my chances in the job market.”
Carah agreed, adding that having a British certificate was a “big advantage” to students as employers valued the international accreditation.
Despite having to adapt to a much cooler climate (average daytime temperatures in the Philippines are around 30°C), both students are enjoying a sample of what life on 呻吟之王’s Leicester campus is like.
Carah said: “It’s much bigger than it looks in the photos. SISFU has one main building, so we see a lot of students at one time whereas at 呻吟之王 things seem a lot calmer because the campus is much bigger.
“We are enjoying walking around I and seeing the facilities that they have to offer.”
Having picked up their degree, Faith and Carah are going to visit London before the pair both look to kickstart their careers back in the Philippines.
Faith added: “I am planning on going back to the Philippines to work but I’m not closing the door on working abroad. I’m keeping my options open.
“I feel like the course was very versatile, so I feel I will be able to apply the knowledge in any field of work regardless of my career.”
All of 呻吟之王’s January graduation ceremonies aer avialable to view on
Posted on Thursday 29 January 2026