Beating off stiff competition, a Suffolk engineering student has secured an invite to a Garden Party to be held at Buckingham Palace.Marie Bowers – a 20-year-old NVQ Level 3 Service Engineering student at Otley College – will meet Her Majesty The Queen on July 16.

Beating off stiff competition, a Suffolk engineering student has secured an invite to a Garden Party to be held at Buckingham Palace.

Marie Bowers – a 20-year-old NVQ Level 3 Service Engineering student at Otley College – will meet Her Majesty The Queen on July 16. Marie, who lives in Stowmarket, works at 'Bright Acres Tool Hire' in the town. She attends College on a day release basis, and will become the first woman to achieve her Level 3 Service Engineering qualification at Otley when she completes this summer.

The College was asked by The Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, Lord Belstead, to nominate a student to attend the Garden Party back in January, and a number of departments put forward their nominations to the Principal, John W. Pearson. The Principal said today: "The quality of the students put forward by my colleagues was nothing short of overwhelming. In the end, we selected Marie as she is a shining example of a student who 'earns while she learns', and in what is a traditionally male-dominated course. We are all very proud of her."

A delighted Marie said: "This is an exciting time for me, especially as careers advisors doubted I would make it to college. I enjoy my engineering course and my work and it is funny that I may see the Queen twice in as many days – since she is visiting Stowmarket the day after the Garden Party, as part of her Jubilee Tour!"

Marie's employer, Duncan McDonald, paid tribute to Marie's determination: "We are so pleased for Marie, and all she has achieved. She has learnt a lot both at Bright Acres and Otley College, which was able to offer flexible learning, which works well for us."