The University of Westminster has hosted its first ever Student Ambassador Event, bringing a spotlight to the Student Ambassador Programme (SAP) as well as student successes.
The event was held on 21 June and saw current student ambassadors give presentations about the programme and celebrate its success.
150 students were invited to the event and many stakeholders were in attendance to highlight the importance of the student ambassadors’ successes and to provide opportunities for networking with staff members. Student Ambassador Programme Manager Juan Restrepo Flores and Business Operations Manager Aitor Gonzalo gave an overview presentation of the programme highlighting the developments and future plans of the initiative. Director of Student and Academic Services Caroline Lloyd and Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Bonfield were also involved in the ceremony.
Caroline Lloyd and Juan Restrepo Flores handed out a variety of awards to our ambassadors. The Marketing Awards recognised students for their work on Open Days and other large events in the University, awarding one student ambassador per campus. Musaddiqah Butt was honoured the 2024 Marylebone Student Ambassador of the Year, Max Coremans for Cavendish, Felipe Paz for Harrow, Tiffany Pearmund for Regents and Iris Schutt for Little Titchfield Street.
Another award was the Outreach Student Ambassador Award which acknowledged student contributions to higher education fairs and outreach events, and went to Errianne Rojo.
The Lifecycle Team Awards were won by Anam Taseer and Maneesha Srivas and recognised students for their excellent help and continuous engagement.
Linda Tighlit received the Outstanding Student Ambassador Award, which is given to students who have been ambassadors for many years. The Student Ambassador Excellence Award went to Chelsea Cruz for exemplifying high standards and representing the programme and the University exceptionally. The Student Voted Excellence Award went to Hannah Edward and Abdeldjouad Chettibi, and lastly, Stacy Glover, Alfie Robinson and Basit Fajarul Rahman all won the Student Ambassador People’s Choice.
Towards the end of the ceremony, two student ambassadors presented an award to Juan Restrepo Flores, recognising his guidance and support throughout the year. This personal achievement has been widely celebrated by the student ambassadors.
The SAP is a student employment programme that unites a diverse cohort of undergraduate and postgraduate students to support the University with various activities across professional services and academics. It is targeted at international students and those who may not have equal opportunities. By increasing student employability and boosting retention and student satisfaction among existing Westminster students, it supports the University's Being Westminster strategy and offers current students ad hoc job possibilities on campus, off campus and online.
Chelsea Cruz said: "Without the Student Ambassador Programme I would not have met the incredible people I encountered throughout the different shifts I worked, both staff and students. I like and appreciate the opportunity to build valuable relationships in every aspect of the job and I can gladly say that I will carry some of the friendships for life."
Hannah Edward added: “As we move forward, let us remember the impact we can have as student ambassadors. Let us continue to uphold the values of our University, to welcome newcomers with open arms and to be the leaders and changemakers that our University inspires us to be.”
This event directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17: Partnerships for Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
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