Study UK alumni awards

Recognising alumni who have distinguished themselves through their career and achievements in the world of science and sustainability, and who can demonstrate the impact and scale of their achievements in their profession, and beyond.

Areas of work could include: Climate action, clean energy, medicine, sustainable cities and communities, engineering, industry and construction. 

Recognising alumni who have carved a career for themselves in arts and culture. We are looking for individuals who can demonstrate their artistic ingenuity, influence and creativity.

Areas of work could include:  Arts, design, media, video, TV, music, bloggers, vloggers, Youtubers and the humanities. 

Recognising alumni who have made an exceptional contribution and commitment to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others.

Areas of work could include: Reducing inequality, poverty and hunger. Education and upskilling.  Peace and justice. 

Recognising alumni who are active in initiating and contributing to innovative or creative new ideas, solutions or business opportunities, that have the potential for growth.

Areas of work could include: Entrepreneurship, business, technology.

National Finalist (Taiwan) - Social Action Award

Siyat graduated from the University in 2021 with a Master's in Jungian and Post-Jungian Studies.

Siyat belongs to the Truku tribe, one of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. His upbringing in a family navigating cultural differences and his return to rural tribal life revealed systemic struggles. This included high rates of mental illness due to cultural dislocation and discrimination. These experiences inspired his medical training and specialisation in psychiatry, where he has focused on serving underserved populations.

He has made significant contributions to his community, offering free psychodrama workshops for indigenous people and professional caregivers, helping participants not only heal but also become agents of support for others. Recognising that individual mental health challenges often stem from systemic inequalities, Siyat has expanded his work to address the collective suffering caused by prolonged discrimination.

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National Finalist (America) - Business and Innovation Award

Daniel is a MSc Finance and Economics graduate and currently now the Manager of Local Operations at Uber. He has led on transformative projects within the company, including supporting the development of Uber Teen accounts, which allow teenagers to use the platform under adult supervision, and AI-enhanced screening systems to improve safety.

These safety and operational improvements have directly impacted the 1.8 billion trips supported by Uber each year in the United States – preventing over 900,000 potentially unsafe individuals from joining the platform and saving tens of millions in costs.

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National Finalist (Nigeria) - Social Action Award

Rafiu, who studied at the University of Essex’s Southend Campus and graduated with an MSc in 2012, is the founder and executive director of the Youths Enterprise Development and Innovation Society (YEDIS).

After returning to Nigeria, Rafiu became Deputy Director of Entrepreneurship Education at Osun State Polytechnic, where he taught entrepreneurial skills to over 60,000 students from 2013 to 2019. Building on this experience, Rafiu launched YEDIS to tackle poverty, unemployment and hunger on an even larger scale.

Since its inception in 2020, YEDIS has positively impacted over 200,000 young people in Nigeria, creating more than 20,000 jobs and offering seed funding and material support to over 10,000 agripreneurs and traders. Additionally, YEDIS has provided training and digital literacy education to more than 50,000 individuals, fostering innovation and opportunity in vulnerable communities.

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National Winner (Brazil) - Creativity and Culture Award

Mark joined the University of Essex in 2018, supported by an athletic scholarship. Studying for an MSc in Marketing and Brand Management at Essex Business School was a transformative experience that gave Mark the skills, knowledge, and global perspective he needed to take his businesses to new heights.

Mark’s journey began with his love for volleyball, a sport that shaped his life from an early age. His passion led to a professional career spanning over a decade, but the transition out of competitive sports was not without challenges. Injuries forced him to step away from the game, leaving him at a crossroads. Determined to make a difference, he founded Tiebreak Sports and Scholarships and later Tiebreak School, creating opportunities for young athletes to combine their sporting talents with higher education.

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National Finalist (Brazil) - Business and Innovation Award

Elton’s journey began in 2009 when he moved to the University of Essex to pursue a PhD in Computational Finance, focusing on Data Science in Finance. After completing his PhD in 2013 he returned to Brazil and he began teaching at the Universidade Federal Fluminense before securing a prestigious position at ITA, where he now serves as a professor of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.

As a professor at the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA), Elton has revolutionised data science education, co-founding Brazil’s most competitive Data Science Specialisation Course. Inspired by his experiences at Essex, Elton has built a legacy of innovation and partnership that extends beyond academia, benefitting students, institutions, and the wider community.

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National Finalist (Greece) - Social Action Award

While studying at Essex, Ifigenia co-founded Genesis Hellas, a non-governmental organisation in Athens, with her family. Despite being based in the UK during her studies, she managed to coordinate projects remotely, regularly traveling to Greece to oversee the organisation's growth. What started as a small initiative has evolved into a respected NGO that addresses some of the most pressing issues faced by vulnerable communities in Greece.

One of the organisation's key projects focuses on providing nutritious vegan meals to Athens’ homeless population, promoting health, sustainability, and inclusivity. Over the past six years, Genesis Hellas has served approximately 2,000 beneficiaries annually, addressing the needs of individuals without access to adequate food. Additionally, the organisation’s emergency response team delivers aid during natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, distributing over 2,000 parcels to affected families last year alone.

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National Finalist (Greece) - Business and Innovation Award

Eleni's journey began at Essex, where she earned an MSc in Economics in 2016, followed by an MSc in Statistics and Finance in 2018. After spending three years in the UK as a policy consultant, Eleni returned to Greece in 2021 and joined Kantor Management Consultants. Shortly after, she assumed leadership of the Blue Growth Accelerator (BGA), an initiative under the EU-funded Horizon 2020 DOORS project.

As the coordinator of the BGA, Eleni leads a team of 20 consortium partners, working with esteemed organisations such as Deltares, GeoEcoMar, and the University of Stirling. Her work focuses on promoting innovation and sustainable blue growth by supporting marine-based startups and fostering collaborations between businesses, researchers, and investors.

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National Finalist (Cyprus) - Business and Innovation Award

Derek’s inspiring journey from professional volleyball player to successful entrepreneur showcases the transformative power of UK higher education. As a professional volleyball player and coach, he has achieved notable success on the court. His accomplishments include winning the NCAA National Championship in 2015 with Loyola University Chicago, competing in England's Volleyball Superleague, and winning national titles in Cyprus.

As Managing Director of The Guimond Vukovic Group, an education consultancy, Derek is empowering the next generation of students and student-athletes to pursue their academic and athletic dreams in the UK. His company partners with 12 UK universities, recruiting over 200 student-athletes to date and generating more than £4 million in tuition fees while securing £1.6 million in scholarships for his clients.

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National Winner (Cyprus) - Social Action Award

Şadiye graduated in 2018 with a BSc in Management, Mathematics, and Economics. Her time at Essex included opportunities for growth outside the classroom. Şadiye was nominated as a Student Representative, a role that helped her develop confidence by speaking to large audiences. She also took advantage of the Essex Abroad scheme, attending summer schools in the Czech Republic and Japan, which broadened her horizons and introduced her to global perspectives.

Since returning to Cyprus, Şadiye has dedicated herself to peacebuilding and youth engagement. She represented the Turkish Cypriot community (TCC) at the Act Now Mayor’s Conference in Stuttgart, Germany, where she addressed 105 mayors and raised awareness about the Cyprus Problem. As a UN Youth Champion for Environment and Peace, her advocacy has been showcased internationally, including a portrait exhibition in the Buffer Zone, Times Square, and the Normandy Peace Forum.

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National Finalist (Cyprus) - Social Action Award

Elena studied at Essex for both an MA in Language Acquisition (2006) and a PhD in Linguistics (2014). Elena is now Pro Vice-Chancellor of Teaching and Learning at Unicaf, she leads efforts to provide accessible higher education to underprivileged communities, primarily across Africa, and has transformed thousands of lives through education.

Since joining Unicaf in 2018, Elena has played a leading role in shaping educational opportunities for students from over 156 countries, many of whom are the first in their families to access higher education. Through her work, thousands of students have achieved qualifications that have enabled them to improve their livelihoods, contribute to their communities, and stimulate local economies.

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National Winner (France) - Culture and Creativity Award

Born and raised in Bulgaria, Iglika’s fascination with British culture led her to the UK, where she pursued her BA in Film Studies and Literature, followed by an MA in Literature. In 2019, Iglika authored Allistic in Wonderland, a book about autism, and in 2021, she was awarded the Best Film Project prize by the Bulgarian Film Society. That same year, she was granted the prestigious MEXT scholarship by the Japanese Ministry of Education, which allowed her to specialise in natural language processing (NLP) at Kyoto University.

Today, Iglika is pursuing a PhD at Sorbonne University in France, where her research focuses on the automatic generation of abridged versions of literary texts for children and individuals with learning disabilities. She also works as an NLP specialist at the University of Lorraine’s Loria laboratory, one of the largest computer science research institutions in France.

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National Finalist (France) - Social Action Award

Sonia graduated with an MA in European Law and Economics at Science Po Grenoble. Since graduating, she has worked for NGOs across Brussels, Ramallah, and London, advocating for children’s rights. However, she felt a need to deepen her understanding of international human rights law, which led her to pursue the world-renowned LLM programme at Essex.

After years of working with countries affected by war, humanitarian crises, and natural disasters, Sonia decided to run for office in Lyon, France. In June 2020, she was elected Deputy Mayor, where she implemented a human-rights-based approach to the city’s international relations. Under her leadership, Lyon has provided first aid to victims of conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, and Gaza, as well as natural disasters in Libya, Morocco, and Türkiye.

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Dr Emma Camp

Global Finalist (Australia) - Science and Sustainability Award

Emma studied at Essex between 2012 and 2015 and graduated with a PhD in Marine Biology. Since then, she’s built a successful career in coral science research and is currently the Future Reefs Team Leader at the University of Technology Sydney, leading a team of researchers working to conserve coral reefs under increasing threat from climate change.

Over the last eight years, Emma has secured over $5.1 million AUD in funding, won over 13 international awards, including L'Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Fellowship (2019) and, Time Magazine Next Generation Leader (2020) and was named a United Nations Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals where she was invited by the President of the UN General Assembly to speak to world leaders about her research.

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Simina Tilbure

Global Finalist (Romania) - Social Impact Award

Simina graduated with a BA in English Language in 2014 and then completed an MA in English Language and Literature the following year. She is now a Member of Parliament at Romania’s Chamber of Deputies.

Her motivation to join politics was driven by the lack of attention on issues she cared about deeply and the low representation of young women in political, decision-making positions. Her goal was to become a strong voice committed to representing young people and women.

Now the Vice President of the Renew the European Project of Romania (REPER) party, she represents Romanians living abroad, leads the Parliamentary Friendship Group with the UK, and is a member of the committees dedicated to the Romanian diaspora, educational and Romania’s accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and she is the first woman to ever represent the Romanian diaspora in Parliament.

Her work in parliament has helped to pass several impactful policies including the reintegration of pupils previously schooled abroad, mandatory education on ethics for European citizenship, developing community centres for Romanians living abroad, and enhancing support for seasonal workers.

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Beatriz Neviani Coslovsky

National Finalist (Brazil) - Culture and Creativity Award

Beatriz graduated from Essex in 2019 with a BA in Curatorial Studies, and made the finals of the British Council’s prestigious alumni awards in Brazil for her work researching and archiving one of the country’s leading contemporary artists, Tunga. Beatriz spent three years as the first researcher for Instituto Tunga, a foundation preserving the estate and legacy of the artist following his death in 2016 with the hope of preserving his legacy and opening his works up to a global audience.

After completing the initial cataloguing for the Instituto Tunga, Beatriz moved to A Gentil Carioca, one of Brazil’s most respected commercial galleries. There, she connected with young and emerging artists in the city, representing them and the gallery across the globe as an archivist and salesperson.

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Rana Alghamdi

National Finalist (Saudi Arabia) - Science and Sustainability Award

Dr Rana Alghamdi (PhD Cell and Molecular Biology, 2017) has been recognised in the prestigious awards for completing completed important cancer research while rising through the ranks at one of Saudi Arabia’s most prestigious universities, King Abdulaziz University.

Her research has focused on colon cancer, and she is an active primary investigator of the Regenerative Medicine Unit at King Fahd Medical Research Centre, where her current focus is on utilising the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tool in colorectal cancer research. Alongside her research, she’s held several positions to empower her wider community and aiming to inspire young women in science.

Sarai Lambert

National Winner (France) - Business and Innovation Award

After Sarai Lambert graduated from Essex with an undergraduate and Masters degree in Art History, she moved to Paris not knowing she'd take a total shift in career. After mastering the language, Sarai took a second Masters entirely in French and in a completely new subject area - business. After graduating, she was headhunted to join Talend, a top software company, where she successfully spearheaded its expansion into English-speaking markets. Sarai's been recognised in the awards for her success and expertise in business and innovation.

Alongside her corporate career, Sarai's volunteered her time to mentor girls in deciding their next steps after high school.

Muhammad Alzaidi

National winner (Saudi Arabia) - Culture and Creativity Award

Muhammad graduated from Essex with a MA in Linguistics in 2010 and a PhD in Linguistics in 2014. He is currently an an Assistant Professor at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia where he chairs the Saudi Society of Linguistics and teaches MA and PhD students. Having always understood the importance of interacting with people from different countries and cultures, he set up a YouTube channel, Linguistics Café. He now has over 1,700 followers, and uses the platform to teach and inspires people around the world for free.

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Shynar Aldazhumanova

National finalist (Kazakhstan) - Science and Sustainability Award

Global finalist - Science and Sustainability Award

Shynar Aldazhumanova graduated from Essex with a BSc Financial Economics in 2010, studying here with the help of Kazakhstan Government Scholarship “Bolashak”. Shynar has since become a trailblazer for improving sustainability in Kazakhstan’s financial sector. She has been recognised for her work in establishing and launching the AIFC Green Finance Centre, a regional think-tank in sustainable finance, as well as fostering the development of the green capital market in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

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Evghenii Alexandrovici Golosceapov

Global finalist - Social Action Award

Evghenii studied an LLM International Human Rights Law and graduated in 2010. He has been recognised for his work in improving the right to health and equality in Moldova. In June 2018, the Moldovan Parliament appointed him as one of five members of the Equality Council – the national anti-discrimination legislation enforcement body. Before that, Evghenii contributed to the elaboration of the first Equality Law in Moldova back in 2011-2012 and helped in the capacity building of the Equality Council during 2013-2018.

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Sakib Amin

National finalist (Bangladesh) - Science and Sustainability Award

Sakib Amin graduated from Essex with an MSc International Economics in 2008. He has been recognised for his contribution to research into energy economics. Through his work, Sakib developed a novel dynamic modelling system for the Bangladesh economy which earned him acknowledgment from the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC). BERC used Sakib’s results as the basis to increase the retail price of electricity in Bangladesh, which has had a positive welfare impact on the nation from a macroeconomic perspective.

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Levent Berke Capli

National finalist (Turkey) - Social Action Award

Levent Berke Capli studied BA Economics and Politics at Essex and graduated in 2012. Berke was named chair of the NATO Science and Technology Organisation research group in 2016 aged just 25, making him the youngest ever chair of a NATO research group. He has held a number of jobs ranging from civil society to the defence sector in politics. In 2017, Berke founded one of the largest women’s rights organisations in Turkey, KizBasina (Just a Girl). The not-for-profit organisation has helped millions of women, and run numerous campaigns to raise awareness about gender-based violence and equality.

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Pelin Kahveci

National finalist (Turkey) - Social Action Award

Pelin graduated with an LLM in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Essex in 2015. Since then, she has supported around 3,500 refugees while holding posts with the likes of UNICEF, International Catholic Migration Commission and the European Union Agency for Asylum. Her key responsibilities have included delivering an effective resettlement process for refugees from Middle East and Africa, and focusing on vulnerable groups such as women, children and those within the LGBTQI community. She now works at the Economic Policy and Governance, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Resident Office in Istanbul.

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Polyxeni Konstantinopoulou

Shortlisted in National awards (Greece) - Social Action Award

Dr Polyxeni Konstantinopoulou, studied an MA in Language Disorders at Essex and graduated in 2009. Along with close friend and fellow Essex graduate Viveta Lymperaki, Dr Konstantinopoulou co-founded the My Way school in Northern Greece – the only institute of its kind in the region to teach foreign languages to children with specific learning needs. The school now has more than 70 pupils enrolled, with its teaching staff growing from two to ten in just a few years.

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Aigerim Seitenova

National finalist (Kazakhstan) - Social Action Award

Aigerim graduated from Essex in 2022 with an LLM in International Human Rights Law. She is an independent human rights and nuclear disarmament professional. She has worked with over 1,500 young people in Kazakhstan delivering workshops on the topics related to non-discrimination, human rights protection, equality and citizenship and cross culture education.

Faisal Al-Homoud

National winner - Culture and Creativity

Faisal graduated from Essex in 2003 with a Masters in Applied Linguistics and is now an Associate Professor at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University and Majmaah University in his native Saudi Arabia. Throughout his career he has devised easy and effective strategies to teach English in the classroom, which he has expanded to social media where he has more than 300,000 Instagram followers, alongside a WhatsApp course helping more than 3,000 people learn English.

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Ali Al-Hoorie

National finalist - Social Action

Ali graduated from Essex in 2006 with a Masters in Applied Linguistics and in 2018 with a Masters in Social Science Data Analysis. He currently works at the Jubail English Language and Preparatory Year Institute at the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, where his research interests include motivation theory, research methodology and complexity. He has won several awards for inventing a device that can detect the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease via linguistic analysis using artificial intelligence.

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Sead Alihodzic

Global finalist - Social Action

Sead Alihodzic graduated from Essex with an MA European Integration in 2008. He went on to work with the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and now works as a Senior Advisor on Electoral Processes. He works closely with national practitioners, international electoral assistance providers, academia, and development organisations to make elections work. Some of his most memorable engagements include supporting the landmark 2013 elections in Kenya, and the Myanmar elections in 2015.

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Qais Altoubi

National winner - Business and Innovation

Qais graduated with an MSC Entrepreneurship and Innovation in 2017 and went on to establish the largest online learning platform in Oman, Edlal. The online knowledge sharing platform provides courses that focus on the skills needed by the market in the region, presented by experts targeting employees, jobseekers, entrepreneurs and students. He is now Vice President for Small and Medium Enterprises Development at the Authority for SME Development.

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Muhammad Alzaidi

National finalist - Culture and Creativity

Muhammad graduated from Essex with a MA in Linguistics in 2010 and a PhD in Linguistics in 2014. He is currently an an Assistant Professor at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia where he chairs the Saudi Society of Linguistics and teaches MA and PhD students. Having always understood the importance of interacting with people from different countries and cultures, he set up a YouTube channel, Linguistics Café. He now has over 1,700 followers, and uses the platform to teach and inspires people around the world for free.

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Nagima Ayubayeva

National finalist - Science and Sustainability

Nagima graduated from Essex with a BSc Economics in 2011 . In her role at AIFC Green Finance Centre, she promotes ‘green finance’ to combat the impact of climate change in Kazakhstan.

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Mandeep Sandhu

National finalist - Business and Innovation

Mandeep graduated from the The Essex MBA at Essex Business School in 2015 and is an aviation entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of a private aviation charter company, AirLuxxis, a luxury travel business offering private aviation charters in India. He pioneered innovative concepts to make revolutionary changes to a very traditional market.

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Davide Valeriani

Global finalist - Business and Innovation

Davide graduated from Essex in 2017 with a PhD in Computing and Electronics Systems. He currently lives in the USA and specialises in Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs), a technology combining computer science, electrical engineering and neuroscience to build devices that allow humans to control other devices with their mind, without moving any muscles.

His research has enabled him to directly help patients with severe motor disabilities, and he also co-founded a Start-Up, Eyewink Ltd, which aims at developing a wearable device to control the smartphone with eye movements.

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Narmin Akhundova

National winner and Regional finalist - Professional Achievement Award

Narmin Akhundova graduated from the School of Biological Sciences (now School of Life Sciences) in 2015 with an MSc Molecular Medicine. Narmin's ground-breaking research at the Food Safety Agency, Azerbaijan (AFSA) of energy drink compounds and their effect on the human body led to new legislation in Azerbaijan and saw Narmin recognised on a global platform for her crucial work.

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Konstantina Bethani

Regional Winner and Global Finalist - Entrepreneurial Award

Konstantina graduated in 2007 with an MA International Relations. She is the founder and CEO of Tenebra Studios, a video game and interactive software development company which has created educational applications for refugees, released free educational games that enable children to familiarise themselves with technology and has been involved in research on artificial intelligence and machine learning. As well as her entrepreneurial success, Konstantina has been recognised for her work in questioning and challenging the gender gap in technology over the last 15 years.

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Khalifa Al Haroon

National and Regional Winner and Global Finalist - Entrepreneurial Award

Khalifa completed a foundation course in English language in 2003 is founder of ILoveQatar.net, a content-driven platform celebrating the diversity of Qatar’s community. Not stopping there, Khalifa's entrepreneurial spirit and ambition led him to also create RaqamiTV - the world’s biggest Arabic educational tech channel. His talent and spirit have unsurprisingly led him to be named one of the most influential people under 40 in the Middle East.

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Lilia Petrosyan

National and Regional Winner and Global Finalist - Professional Achievement Award

Lilia graduated in 2013 with an LLM International Human Rights Law and is a passionate human rights advocate. A Consultant for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Lilia’s Essex experience prompted her to pursue an international career at the forefront of global challenges. Her inspiring work involves advocating for the protection and support of vulnerable and minority communities at the annual UN Forum on Minority Issues.

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Patcharapavalan Akbar

National Finalist - Social Impact Award

Patcharapavalan graduated in 2016 with an LLM International Human Rights Law and works with non-governmental organisations and United Nations agencies in the field of migration, refugee protection and resettlement in Thailand. She currently works as a casework manager for the Refugee Programme Admission which, each year, helps around 8,000 Asian refugees to successfully resettle in the US. Continuing to support others, Patcharapavalan founded her own initiative, the OneBikeProject, raising private funds to support the highland population by distributing blankets and socks through community leaders.

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Chavalida Piromwongse

National Finalist - Social Impact Award

Chavalida graduated in 2010 with an LLM International Trade Law and is criminal justice and human rights activist, working tirelessly to protect the rights of women and children caught up in the justice system. She designed a training programme to eliminate violence within the criminal justice system. Although initially designed for prosecutors, it has since been extended as essential training for police cadets, legal officers and community leaders across Thailand.

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Sook Wah Ho

National Finalist - Social Impact Award

Sook Wah Ho, who graduated with a PhD in Applied Linguistics at Essex in 2014, is the Head of the English Language Unit at Gamuda Berhad, a leading Malaysian engineering and construction company. Helping working professionals, university students and school children improve their English language skills, she was recognised as a pioneering force in language education.

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Jian Jiang

National and Regional Winner and Global Finalist - Entrepreneurial Award

Jian Jiang graduated with a PhD in Computational Finance in 2011 and is co-founder of ParkBee - an innovative mobility management solution eliminating on-street parking and lowering congestion in the UK and the Netherlands. It is used by tens of thousands of travellers each month, helping commuters to find safe and affordable parking spaces. Jian's ambition for building a more sustainable world led him to leave his role in hedge funds to starting ParkBee.

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Reem Elmeleegy

National Finalist - Social Impact Award

Reem graduated from Essex Human Rights Centre in 2017 with an MA Theory and Practice of Human Rights. From an early age, she was concerned with the difference in rights and opportunities between men and women, this led her to focus on women’s rights, human rights and feminism in her education and career. Reem was recognised for her work in South Sudan where, as a women's protection officer, she inspires and empowers women to take leadership roles and get involved in decision making processes in their communities.

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Sofia Tsilidou

Lifetime Achievement Award

Sofia Tsilidou graduated in 1997 with an MA Gallery Studies and is now Director of Museums at the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports in Athens where she is responsible for European cooperation on museum policy. In 2013 she became a national representative at the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Council of the EU and since 2011 she has been a Member of the NEMO Executive Board. She has been involved in work for the promotion and awareness raising of cultural heritage and museums at national level, worked as a project officer in EU-funded projects and as a registrar for national and international exhibitions.

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Alexandra Pentaraki

National Finalist - Professional Achievement Award

Alexandra graduated in 2002 with a MSc Psychology and is a pioneering clinical psychologist from Greece. Alexandra has dedicated her career to helping vulnerable people with mental health issues as well as working as an expert witness in civil and criminal courts. She was recognised for her inspiring work as the founder of Brain Matters Institute, an organization dedicated to the practice, learning and promotion of psychological science.

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Yiping Xia

Regional Winner and Global Finalist - Entrepreneurial Award

Yiping, who graduated with an MSc Telecommunication and Information Systems in 2005, is co-founder of Mobike, one of the first and largest smart bike-sharing services in the world. Yiping’s entrepreneurial talents secured his place in Fortune’s 2017 40 under 40 List, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg. In 2019, in recognition of his inspiring journey, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Essex.

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Stephanie Case

National and Regional Winner and Global Finalist - Social Impact Award

Stephanie graduated in 2012 with an LLM International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. A human rights pioneer, Stephanie was recognised for her life-changing work at United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan where she served as Head of Protection of Civilians and Child Protection. Stephanie is now President, Founder and Board Member of Free to Run - a charity using adventure sports to support women and girls in areas of conflict, developing them into leaders to bring communities together.

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Dionysios Sourelis

National Finalist - Social Impact Award

Dionysios studied BSc Psychology at Essex. and founded the Purpose of Existence Centre in 2013. Located in Greece, it offers counselling and psychotherapy for children and their families. He was recognised in the Study UK Alumni Awards for the help and support he has provided to hundreds of families.

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Ruijiao Li

National Winner - Professional Achievement Award and Regional 'Spirit of Youth' Award (China)

Ruijao graduated in 2015 with an MRes Computer Science in Robotics and is Chief Roboticist at AMY Robotics. The first Chinese company of it's kind to ship service robots to businesses worldwide, Ruijiao is revolutionising how technology lives alongside humanity - particularly during the pandemic which saw service robots join the fight against Covid-19 through cleaning and temperature checks.

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Anushree Srivastava

National Finalist - Professional Achievement Award

Anushree graduated from the School of Biological Sciences (now Life Sciences) in 2016 with an MSc Biotechnology and dedicates her career to the exploration of planet Mars. The knowledge and experience she gained at Essex helped her to secure a position as Crew Biologist with The Mars Society on a simulation mission in the Utah desert, a landscape as close to Mars as can be found on Earth. Now studying a PhD in astrobiology, she's looking deeper into the Mars' landscape, taking us closer to future exploration of the planet.

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Ugonnaya Igwilo

National and Regional Winner and Global Finalist - Social Impact Award

Ugonnaya graduated in 2013 with an MA Public Health and was recognised for her work at the Emergency Operations Centre during the Ebola outbreak. She screened thousands of passengers at Lagos International Airport as part of a campaign which successfully reached over 21 million Lagos residents, subsequently helping to curb the outbreak. Since then, she has worked with the state’s Ministry of Health to provide support and expertise in the prevention of the Monkey Pox outbreak and more recently has been heavily involved in Nigeria’s efforts to fight the outbreak of COVID-19.

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Maryam Al-Subaiey

National and Regional Winner and Global Finalist - Professional Achievement Award

Maryam graduated in 2007 with a BA Politics and is a successful writer, producer, director and creative leader in Qatar. She founded start-ups Uchange and Qatar Together to support young creatives with pursuing their passions and achieving the dreams. She later joined Qatar Television as the only woman and the youngest manager where she managed the re-launch and achieved a promotion to Director of Programs. As a successful female role model, Maryam continues to inspire others as a freelance creative consultant.

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Kanatip Soonthornrak

National Finalist - Professional Achievement Award

Kanatip graduated from East 15 Acting School in 2009 with an MA Theatre Directing and is the founder of ANGKRIZ, one of the most renowned English language schools in Thailand. A perpetual lover of English, he also hosts a talk show interviewing big-name celebrities in English, changing millions of people's attitude towards the English language.

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Isaac Annan

National Finalist (Ghana) - Social Impact Award

Isaac Annan graduated from Essex’s Human Rights Centre in 2005 with an MA Theory and Practice of Human Rights, and secured a role as the Director and Chief Investigator, Human Rights Department, at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice Ghana. In his role at the Commission in Ghana, Isaac has monitored the implementation of human rights programmes, designed public education programmes targeted at the most marginalised groups in rural areas, and served as technical adviser to state departments including the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs.

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Michael Paredrakos

National Finalist (Greece) - Professional Achievement Award

Michael Paredrakos graduated from Essex Business School in 2004 with an MSc International Management. He secured a position as Managing Director of avakon+, a digital marketing agency in Athens, and founder of Greece’s top advertising strategy blog Thecuriousbrain.com. Within months of launching in May 2009, Thecuriousbrain.com became the go-to blog for up-to-the-minute advertising updates. It achieved almost 19 million views and was the only Greek marketing blog featured in AdAge’s Power 150. In 2011 Plannersphere dubbed it the number one strategy blog in the world, surpassing big global industry names. In the same year Brand Republic included it in the BR 200, their list of the most influential bloggers.

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Roichatul Aswidah

National Finalist (Indonesia) - Social Impact Award

Roichatul Aswidah, who graduated from Essex’s Human Rights Centre in 2006 with an MA Theory and Practice of Human Rights, is transforming human rights policy in Indonesia as one of just 13 members of the country’s National Commission on Human Rights. Roichatul Aswidah has been a member of the National Commission on Human Rights for the Republic of Indonesia since 2012 where she was Co-ordinator of the Sub-Commission for Assessment and Research (2012-2015) and is Vice-Chair.

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Octavio Amezcua-Noriega

National Finalist (Mexico) - Social Impact Award

Octavio graduated from Essex’s Human Rights Centre in 2010 with an LLM International Human Rights Law, and secured the role of Legal Officer at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.  At the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights in Mexico, Octavio participated in the drafting of laws on torture and disappearances.

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Ricky Gunawan

National Winner (Indonesia) - Social Impact Award

Ricky Gunawan graduated from Essex’s Human Rights Centre in 2012 with an MA Theory and Practice of Human Rights. He is at the forefront of the campaign to end capital punishment in Indonesia. Ricky Gunawan is one of the founding partners and Executive Director of LBH Masyarakat which is one of the most influential human rights collectives working with marginalised groups in Indonesia.

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Dr Abdullah Al Fraidan

National Winner (Saudi Arabia) - Social Impact Award

The astonishing impact of linguist Dr Abdullah Al Fraidan led him to winning the Social Impact category of the Education UK Alumni Awards for Saudi Arabia. The award acknowledges his exceptional contribution to online learning in Saudi Arabia and his commitment to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others. After completing his Masters and PhD focused on applied linguistics, language testing and programme evaluation at Essex, Dr Al Fraidan went on to take several key roles in developing e-learning at King Faisal University. These roles include Dean of E-learning and Distance Education. He also became an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics.

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Dr Leticia Osorio

National Winner (Brazil) - Social Impact Award

Human rights lawyer Dr Leticia Osorio won the social impact category of the Education UK Alumni Awards in Brazil. The award acknowledges her exceptional contribution and commitment to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others. Dr Osorio, who worked as a Human Rights Programme Officer at The Ford Foundation in Rio De Janeiro, completed a PhD in International Human Rights Law at the University of Essex between 2007 and 2011. During her time she was also a Co-ordinator and Director of the Essex Human Rights Clinic.

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Jianwei Zheng

National Winner (China) - Social Impact Award

“Only through education can we gain more freedom." Those are the words of Jianwei Zheng who is the first totally blind student from southwest China to complete the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and then go on to complete a Masters in the UK. After completing his Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at Essex, JianweI worked as a private English tutor. He also shared his experiences as part of his efforts to change perceptions of disabled people within Chinese society and to inspire others with disabilities to achieve their goals.

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Ankit Mehrotra

National Winner (India) - Entrepreneurial Award

Entrepreneur Ankit Mehrotra won the entrepreneurial category of the Education UK Alumni Awards organised by the British Council after helping to transform the restaurant industry in India. The award recognised Ankit for his outstanding business leadership and commitment to innovation. After a successful career in London’s financial sector, where he worked as an Investment Banker with BNP Paribas for 6 years, Ankit returned to India to launch Dineout with three friends in March 2012 and the multi-award winning company was bought by Times Internet Limited in April 2014.

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