Community Volunteering Award celebrate the exceptional service of UCD students
Posted 20 November, 2024
The outstanding contributions of 90 student volunteers have been recognised at the 2024 UCD in the Community Volunteering Awards.
Presented to those seen to be making a positive change at the University, the awards celebrate those involved in the running of sports clubs, societies, class rep and peer mentorship programmes, as well as activities supporting UCD’s commitment to the wider community.
“My biggest takeaway was self-discovery. Having never left my hometown before, being this introverted person, volunteering pushed me out of my comfort zone-meeting new people, engaging in conversations, and learning to embrace different experiences,” said Balika Kannan, one of several students who spoke about their personal volunteering experiences at a ceremony for the awardees.
Awardee Balika Kannan
“Looking back, I can confidently say that volunteering helped shape a better version of myself. It taught me resilience, adaptability, and the joy of connecting with a community."
“I’m sure every awardee would agree that volunteering is an extremely rewarding experience and once you see the impact you could have; there’s no going back,” added Kundanika Khanna, another awardee.
Bronze Awardees
| Name | Course | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Aimee McFadden | Children’s and General Nursing | Year 3 |
| Anna Farren | Bachelor of Commerce | Year 2 |
| Ashley Jia Ying Lim | Medicine | Year 1 |
| Balika Kannan | Msc. Human Computer Interaction | Postgrad |
| Chao Ka Yan Alison | Undergraduate Medicine | Stage 2 (1st med) |
| Ciara Fitzgerald Cawdry | Health and Performance Science | Year 3 |
| Donal Monahan | Electrical/Electronic Engineering | Year 3 |
| Eoin Molloy | BA English and Geography | Year 2 |
| Hannah Rudden | Masters of Psychological Science | Postgrad |
| Isabella Ní Chonaill | Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering | Year 2 |
| Jing Wen Ong | Medicine | Year 1 |
| Lourd GIzeer | Medicine | Year 4 |
| Muhammad Fazeel Ashiq | Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering | Year 2 |
| Róisín Lambe | English and Sociology | Year 3 |
| Sorcha Mc Elchar | Masters in Public Health Nutrition | Postgrad |
| Zoe Wilson | Human Nutrition | Year 4 |
| Zoya Haider | Medicine UEM | Year 3 |
“You learn things about yourself that never knew, like your ability to take up a leadership role. You learn new skills and make new friends, all while giving back to the community and it leaves a lasting impact.”
The second-year medical student continued, explaining how being part of a busking group during UCD MedSoc’s annual MedDay event had inspired her to use music to engage with other fundraising events, such as organising a karaoke stall for the 24-hr Relay for Life Event.
“Playing music and seeing people stop, listen and even join in was an incredible way to connect with others and raise funds for an important cause,” she said.
Khudanika Khann speaking about her volunteering experience
For the 2024 Awards, there were three categories available to awardees, Bronze (for 20 hours of volunteering), Silver (40 hours of volunteering) and Gold (60+ hours of volunteering).
Silver Awards
| Name | Course | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Beatrice Drummond | Law | Year 2 |
| Celina Li Jie Poh | BSc Economics & Finance | Year 2 |
| Evelyn Rochford | Psychology | Year 4 |
| Faith Holmes | BSc Social Science- Politics & International Relations | Year 3 |
| Julia Juhasz | Mathematics, Physics and Education | Year 1 |
| Kundanika Khanna | Undergraduate Medicine | Year 2 |
| Oisín MacCarthy | Law with Economics | Year 3 |
| Xinyi Zhong | Food engineering | Year 1 |
| Yuxin Wang | Economics Mathematics and Statistic | Year 2 |
Gold Awardee Soffiyah Adewoyin said her experience volunteering on campus had helped her develop a “sense of belonging” and given her the confidence to work with organisations outside of UCD such as Kinia and St Vincent De Paul.
“Every volunteering opportunity I signed up for has been a positive experience and I’ve met some of the most incredible people I know through such activities,” she added.
This sentiment was echoed by fellow gold awardee Esra Benfayed, who said she was proud to have helped “make UCD a more inclusive space for all”.
Awardees Esra Benfayed and Soffiyah Adewoyin
Gold Awards
| Name | Course | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Aoife Erin McGouran | BA (JH) English and Music | Year 2 |
| Kate Ní Bheaglaoich | BSc Psychology | Year 2 |
| Dianabasi Enoh Williams | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Year 3 |
| Cristina Marin | MSc Human Resource Management | Postgrad |
| Doris Braunstein | Graduate Entry Medicine | Year 2 |
| Ananya Singh | Undergraduate Medicine | Stage 5/Res Year |
| Conn O'Gorman | Bachelor of Actuarial and Financial Studies (BAFS) | Year 4 |
| Emma Cristina Maldea | Commerce International with Spanish | Year 4 |
| Molly Irwin Byrne | Political science, international relations and social justice | Year 4 |
| Alexander Ryusandi Pratama | Transition, Innovations, Sustainability Environments | Erasmus |
| Sushrut Govind Kinge | MSc (Sustainable Supply Chain Management) | Postgrad |
| Jenitta Maria Jimmy | BSc Diagnostic Radiography | Year 4 |
| Qiu My Han | Marketing (FT-UCD BBSMKT-39) | Year 2 |
| Esra Benfayed | Medicine | Year 2 |
| Caoimhe Soffer | Psychology | Year 3 |
| Ahmad Mohammad | Medicine | Year 4 |
| Alexandra DeLellis | Master of Science in Applied Economics | Postgrad |
| Sarah Droney | BSc Sociology and Linguistics | Year 2 |
| Edel Caffrey | General Nursing | Year 3 |
| Matthew Murphy | Philosophy, Politics and Economics | Year 1 |
| Khow Hui Shan Karen | MSc (Sustainable Development) | Postgrad |
| Mohammed Obaidan | Medicine | Year 3 |
| Ethar Al Matar | Medicine | Year 3 |
| Thea K. Steder | MSc Project Management | Postgrad |
| Surbhi Singh | MSc Project Management | Postgrad |
| Amit Wasnik | Information Studies | Postgrad |
| Azher Juma Bati Albusaidi | Medicine | Year 4 |
| Soffiyah Adewoyin | Radiography | Year 2 |
| Kayla Tarpey | Agricultural Science in Animal science | Year 4 |
| Nihant Madipalli | BSc Computer Science | Year 3 |
| Nirav Reddy | BSc Computer Science | Year 3 |
| Mayank Sehrawat | BSc Computer Science with data science | Year 3 |
| Lylian Martinez | Architecture | Year 2 |
| Miriam Yi Luo | Commerce | Year 3 |
| Hannah Gonzales | Science: Physics | Year 2 |
| Harinee Shanmugam | ME Manufacturing Engineering | Postgrad |
| Mindaugas Dzenkaitis | Medicine | Year 2 |
| Iseult Scallan | Bachelor of Commerce International with Spanish | Year 4 |
| Molly Ní Riain | Commerce International | Year 4 |
| Riley Colson | BSc General Nursing | Year 4 |
| Marco Clery | BSc Satistics | Year 3 |
| Holly Saleema Whelan | Radiography | Year 2 |
| Katelyn Gaughan | BA Joint Honours, History and English | Year 2 |
| Emilia Kazek | Environmental & Sustainable Chemistry | Year 3 |
| Sinéad Rushe | Philosophy, Politics, & Economics | Year 2 |
| Evan Fitzpatrick | History and Politics | Year 1 |
| Éabha Shiel | Biomedical, Health and Life Science | Year 4 |
| Saman Mutahir | Chemistry | Year 3 |
| Yuchen Zhao | MSc of Digital Marketing | Postgrad |
| Rónan Brennan | Theoretical Physics | Year 4 |
| Richard Otroshchenko | BSc Economics | Year 2 |
| Simran Khatri | BSc Biomedical Sciences | Year 2 |
| Ciara Donohue | General nursing | Year 3 |
| Katherine Lynch | Social Sciences | Year 2 |
| Sophie Byrne | Commerce International | Year 2 |
| Miriam Badross | Medicine | Year 3 |
| Vanshika Sood | Science | Year 2 |
| Thomas Andrews | History and Politics | Year 2 |
| Amy Byrnes | Human Nutrition | Graduated September 2023 |
| Sophie Gallagher | Politics | Year 3 |
| Patrick Duignan | Financial Mathematics | Year 2 |
| Jeremy R Saunders | Master's of Regional and Urban Planning | Year 1 |
| Chris O’Dwyer | Nursing (General) | Year 2 |
| Hannah Kate Costello | BSc Social Sciences | Year 3 |
Addressing the ceremony (opens in a new window)Professor Jason Last, UCD Dean of Students, highlighted that student volunteers had helped deliver almost €30m in value to civic society.
Guest speaker UCD alumna Janice Lau advised students to “find your passion, explore your interests, go out and continue to volunteer your time”, adding volunteering provided people in need with hope and helped them see “what seemed impossible at one point is possible with the help of one person, one coach, one dentist, or one organisation”.
The UCD in the Community Student Volunteering Awards were established in 2020 with the aim of celebrating and recognising student volunteering in the community and in UCD activities, such as clubs, societies, peer mentoring, class representatives and the SU.
For more information on the Awards, visit here.
Meanwhile, UCD in the Community is currently compiling its annual Engagement Report which aims to celebrate the great work being done by UCD employees and students in the community.
Submissions are now open for activities dating from September 1st 2023 - August 31st 2024 and can be made by completing (opens in a new window)this form.
The deadline is Friday, 6 December. Further information is available on the UCD in the Community website.
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations (with materials from Niamh Byrne, UCD in the Community)
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
