Community Volunteering Award celebrate the exceptional service of UCD students
- Date: Fri, Nov 22, 2024
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By David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations (with materials from Niamh Byrne, UCD in the Community)
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.
“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 |
CourseBachelor of Commerce |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Ashley Jia Ying Lim |
CourseMedicine |
YearYear 1 |
+
|
Balika Kannan |
CourseMsc. Human Computer Interaction |
YearPostgrad |
+
|
Chao Ka Yan Alison |
CourseUndergraduate Medicine |
YearStage 2 (1st med) |
+
|
Ciara Fitzgerald Cawdry |
CourseHealth and Performance Science |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Donal Monahan |
CourseElectrical/Electronic Engineering |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Eoin Molloy |
CourseBA English and Geography |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Hannah Rudden |
CourseMasters of Psychological Science |
YearPostgrad |
+
|
Isabella Ní Chonaill |
CourseChemical & Bioprocess Engineering |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Jing Wen Ong |
CourseMedicine |
YearYear 1 |
+
|
Lourd GIzeer |
CourseMedicine |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Muhammad Fazeel Ashiq |
CourseChemical and Bioprocess Engineering |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Róisín Lambe |
CourseEnglish and Sociology |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Sorcha Mc Elchar |
CourseMasters in Public Health Nutrition |
YearPostgrad |
+
|
Zoe Wilson |
CourseHuman Nutrition |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Zoya Haider |
CourseMedicine UEM |
YearYear 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.
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 |
CourseBSc Economics & Finance |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Evelyn Rochford |
CoursePsychology |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Faith Holmes |
CourseBSc Social Science- Politics & International Relations |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Julia Juhasz |
CourseMathematics, Physics and Education |
YearYear 1 |
+
|
Kundanika Khanna |
CourseUndergraduate Medicine |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Oisín MacCarthy |
CourseLaw with Economics |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Xinyi Zhong |
CourseFood engineering |
YearYear 1 |
+
|
Yuxin Wang |
CourseEconomics Mathematics and Statistic |
YearYear 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”.
Gold Awards
|
Name |
Course |
Year |
|
Aoife Erin McGouran |
BA (JH) English and Music |
Year 2 |
|
Kate Ní Bheaglaoich |
CourseBSc Psychology |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Dianabasi Enoh Williams |
CourseBiochemistry and Molecular Biology |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Cristina Marin |
CourseMSc Human Resource Management |
YearPostgrad |
+
|
Doris Braunstein |
CourseGraduate Entry Medicine |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Ananya Singh |
CourseUndergraduate Medicine |
YearStage 5/Res Year |
+
|
Conn O'Gorman |
CourseBachelor of Actuarial and Financial Studies (BAFS) |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Emma Cristina Maldea |
CourseCommerce International with Spanish |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Molly Irwin Byrne |
CoursePolitical science, international relations and social justice |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Alexander Ryusandi Pratama |
CourseTransition, Innovations, Sustainability Environments |
YearErasmus |
+
|
Sushrut Govind Kinge |
CourseMSc (Sustainable Supply Chain Management) |
YearPostgrad |
+
|
Jenitta Maria Jimmy |
CourseBSc Diagnostic Radiography |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Qiu My Han |
CourseMarketing (FT-UCD BBSMKT-39) |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Esra Benfayed |
CourseMedicine |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Caoimhe Soffer |
CoursePsychology |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Ahmad Mohammad |
CourseMedicine |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Alexandra DeLellis |
CourseMaster of Science in Applied Economics |
YearPostgrad |
+
|
Sarah Droney |
CourseBSc Sociology and Linguistics |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Edel Caffrey |
CourseGeneral Nursing |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Matthew Murphy |
CoursePhilosophy, Politics and Economics |
YearYear 1 |
+
|
Khow Hui Shan Karen |
CourseMSc (Sustainable Development) |
YearPostgrad |
+
|
Mohammed Obaidan |
CourseMedicine |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Ethar Al Matar |
CourseMedicine |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Thea K. Steder |
CourseMSc Project Management |
YearPostgrad |
+
|
Surbhi Singh |
CourseMSc Project Management |
YearPostgrad |
+
|
Amit Wasnik |
CourseInformation Studies |
YearPostgrad |
+
|
Azher Juma Bati Albusaidi |
CourseMedicine |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Soffiyah Adewoyin |
CourseRadiography |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Kayla Tarpey |
CourseAgricultural Science in Animal science |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Nihant Madipalli |
CourseBSc Computer Science |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Nirav Reddy |
CourseBSc Computer Science |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Mayank Sehrawat |
CourseBSc Computer Science with data science |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Lylian Martinez |
CourseArchitecture |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Miriam Yi Luo |
CourseCommerce |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Hannah Gonzales |
CourseScience: Physics |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Harinee Shanmugam |
CourseME Manufacturing Engineering |
YearPostgrad |
+
|
Mindaugas Dzenkaitis |
CourseMedicine |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Iseult Scallan |
CourseBachelor of Commerce International with Spanish |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Molly Ní Riain |
CourseCommerce International |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Riley Colson |
CourseBSc General Nursing |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Marco Clery |
CourseBSc Satistics |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Holly Saleema Whelan |
CourseRadiography |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Katelyn Gaughan |
CourseBA Joint Honours, History and English |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Emilia Kazek |
CourseEnvironmental & Sustainable Chemistry |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Sinéad Rushe |
CoursePhilosophy, Politics, & Economics |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Evan Fitzpatrick |
CourseHistory and Politics |
YearYear 1 |
+
|
Éabha Shiel |
CourseBiomedical, Health and Life Science |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Saman Mutahir |
CourseChemistry |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Yuchen Zhao |
CourseMSc of Digital Marketing |
YearPostgrad |
+
|
Rónan Brennan |
CourseTheoretical Physics |
YearYear 4 |
+
|
Richard Otroshchenko |
CourseBSc Economics |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Simran Khatri |
CourseBSc Biomedical Sciences |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Ciara Donohue |
CourseGeneral nursing |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Katherine Lynch |
CourseSocial Sciences |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Sophie Byrne |
CourseCommerce International |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Miriam Badross |
CourseMedicine |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Vanshika Sood |
CourseScience |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Thomas Andrews |
CourseHistory and Politics |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Amy Byrnes |
CourseHuman Nutrition |
YearGraduated September 2023 |
+
|
Sophie Gallagher |
CoursePolitics |
YearYear 3 |
+
|
Patrick Duignan |
CourseFinancial Mathematics |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Jeremy R Saunders |
CourseMaster's of Regional and Urban Planning |
YearYear 1 |
+
|
Chris O’Dwyer |
CourseNursing (General) |
YearYear 2 |
+
|
Hannah Kate Costello |
CourseBSc Social Sciences |
YearYear 3 |
+
Addressing the ceremony 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 this form.
The deadline is Friday, 6 December. Further information is available on the UCD in the Community website.
This article was originally published on UCD’s News and Opinion page.
