A former Coleg Menai student who became the youngest member of the House of Lords has returned to her college to inspire current students.
Baroness Carmen Smith visited the college's new Tŷ Menai campus in Bangor to share her journey and encourage students to follow their dreams.
The 28-year-old was appointed as a Plaid Cymru peer in March, and chose the title Baroness Smith of Llanfaes, after the Anglesey village where she grew up.
She studied Level 3 Business Studies at Coleg Menai between 2013 and 2015.
Baroness Smith said: "My advice to everyone is to just aim for what you want, and to know that anything is possible if you really want it.
"You can be what you want to be, and don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t."
While at Coleg Menai, Baroness Smith was elected as Student Union president for Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, having become interested in politics when she was around 15 years old.
She went on to become acting president of the National Union of Students before working at both the European Parliament in Brussels and the Senedd in Cardiff.
Baroness Smith said she developed crucial skills at college such as public speaking, and enjoyed the freedom to find her own path in life.
She said: "My favourite memory of being a student at Coleg Menai was the freedom.
"Leaving school and going to a new place, meeting new people - that was the thing that I was most excited about and enjoyed.
"I’m from Llanfaes and in my class there were people from Nefyn, who I would have never met if I hadn’t gone to college.
"I enjoyed it.
"It was a different way of learning, going from a school setting where you have someone pushing you more to make sure you’re completing your work, and then changing to a setting where it’s your responsibility.
"I think it’s a good way of setting you up for life and jobs in terms of managing your own time and work."
Of the new Tŷ Menai campus at Parc Menai, she said: "It’s fresh, modern, and I think it’s a great place to be a student."
After college, Baroness Smith studied law at Bangor University, but left after a year to become deputy president of NUS Wales.
She went on to work in politics for Plaid Cymru, and also in public affairs for a renewable energy company.
Baroness Smith was 27 when she was appointed to the House of Lords in March.
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