Student of the Year – Commendation
Emma Smith has been involved in raising aspirations of individuals from widening participation backgrounds for a number of years. Emma is currently a PhD student at Liverpool John Moores University and has actively worked as a student advocate since starting at the University as an undergraduate. Emma has inspired numerous young people to progress to Higher Education through her passion for education and science particularly. As well as the day-to-day student advocate work, Emma now runs her own outreach programme as part of the National Networks for Collaborative Outreach. Emma has inspirational ideas for conveying the positive messages associated with the opportunities Higher Education can provide, and is particularly an exceptional role model for young women who may be considering following a path into Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths. Emma’s enthusiasm for the student advocate work she has delivered over a number of years is genuine, and feedback from sessions she delivers suggests that her engagement with young people makes a life difference in terms of realising opportunities.