Go Abroad Awards 2017

International Partnerships was delighted to host the University’s first ever Go Abroad Awards, celebrating the efforts and achievements of students who have undertaken a study or work placement abroad.

 

The inaugural celebration of the Go Abroad Awards 2017 took place on 30 March, where winners and runners-up across five different categories received official recognition from the University for exceptional achievements attained through their engagement with Go Abroad. Following the many nominations submitted by Kent students and staff as well as from staff from our partner universities, the shortlisting panel had the difficult task of narrowing it down to the top three nominees per category with the winners to be announced on the night.

We are extremely proud of each of the final shortlisted nominees of this year’s Go Abroad Awards, all of whom demonstrated exceptional engagement with their Go Abroad experience and have contributed to enhancing Go Abroad opportunities and benefits for fellow students, staff and their wider communities.

Winners and Runners Up | Go Abroad Awards 2017

The Go Abroad Award winners for this year’s category awards are:

  • Eleanor Weaver | Winner of Best Use of Social Media
  • Suryani King | Winner of Best Go Abroad Volunteer
  • Rachel Bale | Winner of Best Go Abroad Initiative
  • Alexandre Stylianoudis | Winner of Best Go Abroad Student Ambassador
  • Andreea Hardware | Winner of Go Abroad Student of the Year

Click here to view the full list of 2017 winners and runner-ups.

On the night, the five winners each received a cash prize alongside their certificate of achievement, with the opportunity to share a message of thanks to the audience. Alexander Stylianoudis, winner of the Go Abroad Best School Ambassador award, was unable to attend the ceremony in person, but sent a note of gratitude saying, “I would like to thank the University of Kent for allowing hundreds of students like myself to discover the world. I would also like to thank Miss Summer Bishop for making me discover the most beautiful places on earth and for accepting to find new ones with me; she is unquestionably the best travel and life companion and I would have never met her had it not been for the University of Kent study abroad programme”

The inaugural ceremony had over 70 guests attending including Kent students, staff, international colleagues invited as part of International Partners Week, as well as family and friends of the shortlisted nominees. The formal occasion was filled with an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation, with laughter consistently heard as attendees enjoyed the talents of the professional magician making his rounds across the tables. Natalie Clark, an invited guest of one of nominees, remarked, “Go Abroad Awards was a fantastic night, it was so lovely to hear about other people’s experiences abroad and to see them receive recognition for their work! The whole night was a success not only in celebrating people’s experiences, but also for reminiscing about our own.”

Family and friends celebrating with winners

Following the ceremony, International Partnerships received several positive comments and feedback on the success of the evening. James North remarked, “The ‘Go Abroad Awards’ was such a fantastic occasion to celebrate the diverse nature of the University of Kent’s Go Abroad Scheme. The evening was a fabulous affair with speeches from various key members of the university faculty and nominees from a variety of different backgrounds. Though the winners were selected, in a sense all in the gala were winners as Go Abroad continues to become more and more successful. The event was amazing and the atmosphere was electric. I cannot wait to hear about the continued success of the scheme.”

Since 2001, International Partnerships at Kent has supported over 4500 students in engaging with a Go Abroad experience as part of their studies. At Kent we believe that these experiences provide invaluable opportunity for students to grow in self-confidence, make new friends and develop a more profound perception of the world having gained first-hand experience of other countries, their people and cultures. Above all, they will have a fantastic time that they treasure for the rest of their lives.

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Go Abroad at Kent is managed by the student exchange administration within International PartnershipsTo find out more about Go Abroad please visit www.kent.ac.uk/goabroad or contact the team at goabroad@kent.ac.uk