Pictured:  Kris Akabusi, Jarrod Williams and Julia Willoughby of Willoughby PR

A Birmingham City University student is celebrating after gaining three PR achievements.

Jarrod Williams (22) from Oldbury who gained a first in BA (hons) Media and Communication this summer, and won a competition to find the next generation of PR professionals has now been crowned The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Midlands Student of the Year.

Jarrod received his award from three times Olympic medallist turned motivational coach Kris Akabusi MBE at the CIPR Midlands PRide Awards on Friday 2 December at the Hilton Metropole, Birmingham. The awards are designed to recognise excellence and reward achievement in public relations and communications across the Midlands.

Jo McCarthy, Chair of the Midlands CIPR Group, said: "The standard of student entries for the PRide Awards is always very high but Jarrod stood out as someone who has gained a lot of practical PR experience at the same time as completing his studies.

"His dissertation project for the Air Cadets was outstanding and the judges were extremely impressed by the varied nature of his work. In particular, Jarrod's ability to integrate social media with traditional PR activity ensured he was able to reach the Air Cadet's core target audience of 13-18 year olds with tangible and measureable results.

"Jarrod clearly has a bright future ahead of him and I wish him every success as he starts his career in PR."

Jarrod was nominated for the award by his tutors at Birmingham City University who were impressed by Jarrod's work both inside and outside the classroom. Peter Wilby, degree leader for public relations courses at the University said: "Jarrod produced some exceptional work as a media student and showed the creativity and flair that I would expect of a highly accomplished PR professional.

"He's a deserving winner and also proof of our excellent track record. CIPR Midlands Student of the Year has now been awarded to six students from Birmingham City University's School of Media."

In April, Jarrod, who is from Oldbury and attended Halesowen College, battled against scores of students to win the PR category of B-Hive 2011, a competition designed to discover the top creative talent in the Midlands. Part of Jarrod's prize was two months' paid work experience at some of the region's top PR agencies. Jarrod is now dividing his time between an internship at Willoughby PR and as a volunteer Media Communications Officer (Staffordshire Wing) at Air Training Corps. He said: "It was a shock to find out I had been nominated for the CIPR Student of the Year. It has been a brilliant year, having achieved a hat trick of achievements."