Global Student Experience Award

This award recognises an extracurricular activity which supports our international work and provides opportunities for students to enhance their intercultural understanding and develop as global citizens.

Winner

Durham University Student Volunteering and Outreach (DUSVO)

Shortlisted nominees

• Durham University Student Volunteering and Outreach (DUSVO)
• Elena Meier
• Hatfield College

Nominees

DU International Study Centre Society

DUISC has always embraced student voice and help prepare students for not only Durham University academic life but all of the social, sport and collegiate aspects which come with ‘the Durham experience’.

ESN Durham (Erasmus/Exchange Student Network)

Since its founding, student society ESN Durham has created a hub to support students who are interested in an international experience, on an international experience and who want to give back after an international placement.

Abir van-Hunen

Abir played a seminal role in the success of the University’s first Global Challenges Centre for Doctoral Training to create a strong, vibrant community for students to share experiences, support each other and deliver success in a challenging environment.

Hatfield College

Hatfield’s #AllOneHatfield ethos and Formal programme 2022-23 included many themes, reflecting on the community’s global diversity thus impacting greatly on students from other cultures and ethnicities.

Rui Fang

Rui arrived in Durham as a Masters student and is now a PhD student in Chemistry. Rui is an extraordinary leader and cultural mediator for the highly internationally diverse Hatfield postgraduate body.

Corentin Mallet-Pont and Ludivine Pla

Corentin and Ludivine have been running the "Franche Connexion" initiative over the last two years. The language cafes provide a great opportunity for students to engage with French language and culture in an informal atmosphere.

Géraldine Crahay

Géraldine secured an ESLE grant to run extracurricular ballet classes in French that constitute a ‘third space’ for students to mix and interact, confronting their experiences of the world and of languages thus creating a space for intercultural learning and reflexivity to take place.

Anna Johnston

The rationale to launch a slogan competition in French is to provide an opportunity to approach French creatively; to play with the language – and its cultures – in a way that current classroom didactics and dynamics do not allow.

Dariimaa Sukhbaatar

Dariimaa has organised a multitude of events for the International Students Association that are targeted at international students, but also include and involve British students, thereby providing a platform for intercultural exchange.

International Students Association

The ISA has carried out many cultural activities that celebrate different cultural festivities. It has provided great care and inclusivity for all international students, ensuring their cultural backgrounds are valued and celebrated at Durham.

Laidlaw Foundation

The Laidlaw Foundation offers 25 scholarships on an annual basis enabling students to enrol onto programmes of independent research and International Leadership in Action projects to help a community of need.

Northumbrian Officers Training Corp (NUOTC)

The NUOTC has trained students with hands on experience of managing diverse teams from different cultures, how to work collaboratively and how to adopt a code of practice to help develop ethical leadership qualities.

Durham University Student Volunteering and Outreach

DUSVO provide opportunities for both students and the local community to broaden their knowledge and understanding of the world, and to provide international students the chance to feel acknowledged and at home in the Durham community.

Saskia Poulter

Saskia has set a positive example for her peers in what engagement in all aspects of the Laidlaw Scholars programme entails from engaging in the research component to thinking critically about what leadership looks like in a global setting.

Zina Francis

Zina has had an impactful presence on the Laidlaw Scholars Programme. She is consistently asking how we can continue to better the society we are in while also ensuring that programs are inclusive and consider the historical impact of colonisation.

Jonathan Drury

Jonathan supervised a biological sciences student on the Laidlaw Scholars Programme, allowing her to engage with like-minded individuals in Costa Rica and the opportunity to learn about their cultural traditions, food, politics, and music.

Chris Blois-Brooke

Chris has been key in developing a student’s understanding of inclusive and global leadership. He developed two important workshops which left students feeling prepared to engage in leadership projects locally and internationally.

Peat Rigg Outdoor Centre

Peat Rigg and their staff went above and beyond to ensure that their leadership development activities and reflection would be adaptable to the needs of the students.

Elena Meier

Elena has demonstrated real commitment to her role as President of ISA by going above and beyond expectations. She has supported new international students and helped to ensure they have a positive experience at Durham.

Olga Zabotkina

Olga has organised many performances, lectures, and cultural events which help to enhance linguistic and cultural competence of our students and have a very positive impact on their studies.

Ritsuko Koso-Kirk

Ritsuko manages our relationship with our Japanese partners and has an unparalleled knowledge of the Japanese university system which she uses to advise Durham students and guide them in their choice of modules.

Lara Escudero-Baztan

Lara has contributed positively to the year abroad student experience for Hispanic Studies, managing a wide geographical portfolio (Europe and Latin America) and dealing with unanticipated crises with efficiency and sensitivity.