Having completed their studies during the height of the global pandemic, it was wonderful to finally be able to celebrate with the 2021 finalists at their belated celebrations.
It was a wonderfully joyful and sunny occasion, welcoming back the very special Covid cohort of finalists this month when they descended on Canterbury to formally graduate in the UNESCO World Heritage site, Canterbury Cathedral. We were able to catch up with everybody less formally beforehand and raise a toast to their incredible achievements.
Head of School, Dr Nadine Ansorg referred to this in her speech;
‘I would like all of you to keep in mind how you managed to get through this pandemic, how you survived this very difficult time, to end up here, tonight, celebrating with your friends, family, and lecturers. Your strength and resilience will be guiding you for your future after Kent as you prepare for the next chapters in your lives.’
She also announced the 2021 prize winners:
- The Colin Seymour-Ure Prize for the Best UG dissertation was shared between, Seray Osman, Kester Ratcliff, Ruth Agui who all achieved excellent marks.
- Maurice Vile Prize Best Stage 3 performance was awarded to Ruth Agui
- School of POLIR Special Achievement Prize for an outstanding performance in the face of adversity was awarded to Oluwafeyikunmi Olubajo
- The David Nunnerley Prize awarded to a Student demonstrating an outstanding contribution to the student experience of the School of POLIR was awarded to the Pol/IR Society, for creating such stimulating online engagements and events for students throughout 2020-21 and particularly the pandemic, including: Tommaso Israely, Deborah Makasi, Savannah Allen
In Postgraduate prizes the Global Society Prize Best overall performance was awarded to Camee Ptak for a very high class average and also the John Burton Prize received the Best dissertation another very high mark.
View the full Flickr album from the event