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
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 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
Beatrice Drummond 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
Aoife Erin McGouran BA (JH) English and Music Year 2Kate 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 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, 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.
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,