On Tuesday 28 May 2024, Roehampton came together to celebrate a remarkable group of students who have shown great dedication to their future careers. Whether it’s getting involved in community service, engaging in extracurricular activities, balancing term-time employment or participating in Roehampton leadership roles and projects, these students have shown determination and optimism throughout their time at Roehampton.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jean-Noël Ezingeard attended the ceremony to honour the students’ achievements. “It was a real pleasure to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our final year students. Each of the winners and nominees has demonstrated exceptional commitment to their studies, their future careers, and to making a tangible difference to the wider world - really encapsulating what it is to be a part of the Roehampton community." A total of eight categories were recognised and over fifty students were nominated for their achievements. The awards were presented by Roehampton’s Director of Student Futures, Nadim Choudhury, and Julie Powell and Indie Nizzar from the Careers team.
Community Service- awarded to Harrison Cohen.
Harrison, President of Froebel College, broke records with his fundraising efforts for 'Movember', raising £1217 in one night. He organised Roehampton’s first Homelessness Awareness Week, raising over £3000. Leading Roehampton’s involvement in Pride in London, he made sure international students were included in the event. Finally, Harrison raised over £4000 for his Moving Out Day Project.
Leadership- awarded to Annabel Hann.
Annabel is the leader of the student Nutrition and Health Society where she has organised events with inspiring guest speakers such as Sophie Medlin. Annabel shares her knowledge through podcasts and panel discussion and writes nutrition articles for HRS Communications. Her dedication to advancing nutritional science is evident through her research on the gut microbiome and the vegan diet. Annabel is also the Student Section Representative for The Nutrition Society.
Entrepreneurship- awarded to George Clayton.
George established Radio Roehampton, turning students’ ideas into real-life shows. George holds the role as Station Manager, providing valuable technical guidance. As College Community Leader at Southlands, he organised the community-building events, performing with his Jazz Trio at various events. Outside of university, George offers virtual flying lessons.
Employment, Placements, Internships and Work Experience- awarded to Jemma Jessup.
Jemma successfully completed an internship with Rocket Fuel Wellbeing. Working alongside Registered Nutritionist Clem Cleave, Jemma created engaging content including blogs and infographics. Jemma’s professionalism and innovativeness was praised by Clem. Jemma’s internship inspired her to volunteer with the Trussell Trust Food Bank Network, creating recipes resources for food parcel distribution and cook club sessions. Jemma is also founder of the @NutritionRoe Instagram and co-created the Nutrition Society.
Mentoring- awarded to Serena Williams.
Serena was promoted to Senior Ambassador within a year of being a Student Ambassador. She has devoted over 200 hours to the scheme, demonstrating empathy and inclusivity as a coordinator for the Autism Association. Serena will play a leading role in the Aim Higher Transition Conference.
Student leader- awarded to Logan Sickling.
Logan is a valuable student representative and lab assistant to the computer science department, supporting fellow students, resolving technical issues, and encouraging involvement in student life. As well as balancing a part-time job, Logan remains dedicated to his studies and roles, playing a massive part in the development and improvement of the computer science programmes.
Internationalisation- awarded to Mugdha Shivapurkar.
Mugdha is a Student Life Specialist for Nest, supporting student emotionally and administratively, increasing student engagement through different events. Mugdha has supervised therapeutic group sessions on her professional placements at the Bereavement Centre and a Forensic Hospital. Her dedication to supporting internationalisation is apparent through her dance workshops and cultural events.
This year, a new category was celebrated. The Outstanding Achievement and Overall Winner award went to Marcy Cottrell Claughan. Marcy has shown amazing dedication to community service, work experience and student leadership. Marcy has organised charity events, helped at graduation and volunteered with Growhampton. Marcy is compassionate, caring for campus wildlife and serving as May Queen, raising money for Papyrus and Whiteland’s Guild. Moreover, Marcy has continued to successfully complete her studies and show exceptional leadership and commitment to student wellbeing.
Marcy Cottrell Claughan said: “Listening to the descriptions of all the students and the amazing things they had done made me feel so honoured and proud to be listed among them. When it came round to the final award, Outstanding Achievement and Overall Winner, I was absolutely shocked and so touched to receive it. It means so much to have my efforts over the last three years commemorated like this, and I'm just so grateful to everyone who put me forward for this opportunity and helped me along the way.”
Roehampton would like to congratulate all the students nominated and wish them the best of luck in their future careers. Our students have worked exceptionally hard and without a doubt, will continue to excel after university.