Winner
Michael McPherson
MBA, 2002
Michael McPherson, or Kwame, is an author, life coach and entrepreneur. Kwame’s writing has achieved international renown, including his most recent success in the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2023 where his short story ‘Ocoee’ won both the Caribbean regional award and the overall prize. Previously Kwame was a 2007 Poetic Soul winner and the first Jamaican Flash Fiction Bursary Awardee for The Bridport Prize in 2020. His work has been published in Flame Tree Publishing’s diverse-writing anthologies and is to be published in the forthcoming The Heart of a Black Man anthology, which tells personal empowering stories from influential Black men. At the University of the West Indies Museum, two of his stories, one celebrating Mary Seacole and the other Jamaican soldiers in the First World War, are currently held in the museum’s archives.
Finalists
Dr Linda Miller
Teachers in Primary Care Postgraduate Certificate, 2011
Dr Linda Miller has been a doctor for 32 years. Linda has used her Teachers in Primary Care Postgraduate Certificate from Westminster to contribute to medical education, and support other doctors and NHS leaders. Linda teaches at two medical schools in London, coaches NHS leaders, works as a GP appraiser, and has created award-winning workshops that combine the creative arts with coaching for the wellbeing of doctors. Her workshops including singing, creative writing, zine making and magic. They were highly appreciated by doctors during the pandemic and have remained popular since. Linda is an NHS Clinical Entrepreneur and a National Academy for Social Prescribing champion.
Raquel Villanueva
Journalism (International) - Broadcast MA, 2009
Raquel Villanueva is a television host and journalist. Her work focuses on science communication and space exploration. She currently works as a commentator and video producer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Raquel served as a broadcast host for the historic landing of the Perseverance rover on Mars in 2021, and in 2022 she co-hosted and helped produce the launch broadcast of NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite. Raquel also hosts live streams to engage new audiences with space exploration and produces videos showcasing space missions. Her work aims to provide a platform for engineers and scientists to communicate their work effectively with the public.
Shaheen Mamun
Solicitors Exempting LLB, 2014
Shaheen Mamun is a solicitor and co-founder of Black Antelope Law. Black Antelope Law is an initiative that brings together solicitors and barristers to drive change in the legal industry. Shaheen serves as a Social Mobility Ambassador for the Law Society of England and Wales and is also the Strategic Partnership lead at the Muslim Employment Charter, which aims to help employers better accommodate the needs of Muslim professionals in the workplace. Shaheen was recognised as one of the Top 100 Influential Muslims for Championing and Celebrating Diversity and was ranked in the Top 10 for Influential Muslims in the Legal Industry. Shaheen was awarded Human Rights Lawyer of the Year in the UK at the 2022 Global Law Experts Annual Awards, 2022 Lawyer Network Annual Awards, and the 2023 Corporate INTL Global Award.