As we end another academic year, we congratulate and celebrate new Spirit of Sussex Award winners. On 7 June 2023, the Spirit of Sussex Award team hosted the annual celebration and ceremony to congratulate and welcome 510 Undergraduate final year students into the Award community.

The Spirit of Sussex Award recognises student’s participation, organisation and leadership in co-curricular activities and events and celebrates student’s community spirit and collaboration throughout their degree at Sussex. We are delighted to announce that 2,450 students have achieved or actively working towards a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award.

We want to say a huge thank you to the students that have engaged in the Award scheme, the Student Connectors who have shaped the Award, and amazing academic and professional service staff who have collaborated to create diverse opportunities for students to achieve recognition for the extracurricular, personal development and volunteering activities they do.

Here were some key highlights of the Spirit of Sussex Award Celebration event on 7 June:

Networking opportunities

The event was opened by Student Connector, Haajadri Srikaran (currently studying BSc Finance & Technology) who welcomed guests and Award winners to the celebration event. She shared insights into the amazing work that Student Connectors do to support, promote and improve the Award scheme including digital communications, platform enhancements, workshops and community engagement.

Haajadri also highlighted some of the activities Award participants do including running clothing businesses, attending a Green Futures event, fundraisers for sports societies, creative writing workshops, student consultancy programmes and more.

Guests had the opportunity to learn more about Sussex Connect, the University’s alumni platform, receive careers and entrepreneurship support, and meet, network and share experiences with other Award winners over an ice cream or two!

Students networking at the celebration event.

Self-nomination prizes

For the first time, the Spirit of Sussex Award included a special ceremony to announce the winners of our self-nomination prizes, a new initiative for final year students to nominate themselves for an extra award in recognition of outstanding contributions to co-curricular engagement, collaboration, and leadership.

Students had the opportunity to submit a written description, audio or video submission via the Spirit of Sussex Award platform and were encouraged to reflect on their experiences, skills gained and the impact of their contributions.

These prize submissions were reviewed by a judging panel formed of student connectors, professional service, and academic staff. One panellist shared that they were “amazed at how these students find the time and drive to try new things, enhance their skills and create lasting legacies”.

During the celebration event, the prize winners were announced and received their trophies and their self-selected experience prizes:

• Collaboration at Sussex – Mifrah Faisal (BSc Biomedical Science) & Dany Uyanik (BSc Psychology with a professional placement)
• Commitment to Upskilling – Marlena Jagoda (BSc Marketing & Management) & Dana Aljarrah (BSc Medical Neuroscience)
• Exceptional Leader – Oliver Pentz (Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery) & Berta Jimenez Santos (BA Anthropology and International Development with a professional placement)
• Sports, Creativity & Culture – Gaia Guatri (BA International Relations and Anthropology with a study abroad year) & Rahul Rajakumar (BSc Economics)
• Giving back to the Community – Cemaliye Bergun (BSc Psychology with Neuroscience) & Engy Hashem (BA International Development)

The prizes included theatre vouchers, i360 tickets, donations to Sussex BAME Society, stadium tours, foraging courses, Books That Matter subscription and MasterClass Online subscriptions.

Guest speakers and alumni

Each year we invite guest speakers who either studied at Sussex or have a connection to our institution, and this year we were delighted to be joined by inspiring alumna, Corinne Furman. Corinne graduated with a BA Drama: Theatre and Performance in 2020 and has since appeared in films, including the Fisherman’s Friends sequel. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Corinne for reflecting on her own time at Sussex, performing with the Sussex Dance Society, volunteering at day centres for vulnerable people and rehearsing in the Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts (ACCA). Corinne shared her successes, hurdles and gave memorable advice to the award finalists soon to be graduating.

Alongside Corinne, we had a panel of recent 2021 and 2022 Award winners and alumni, who shard their co-curricular and voluntary experiences, what they’ve gained from trying new things and how the Spirit of Sussex Award recognised their achievements and kept them motivated.

Jimeet Shah (2022 Graduate in BSc Business and Management), Somto Asibelua (2021 Graduate in LLB Law with International Relations) and Rachel Nielsen (2022 Graduate in BA Drama and Film Studies), who all achieved a Gold Spirit of Sussex Award, kindly shared their journey since graduating, the industry they current work in, their ambitions and some of the situations where they’ve applied transferable skills gained from co-curricular activities.

Students had the opportunity to ask questions, network and connect with guest speakers and alumni. With special thanks to Careers and Entrepreneurship for chairing the panel.

Alumna speaker, Corinne Furman graduated with a BA Drama: Theatre and Performance in 2020. 

A Spirit of Sussex Award panellist speaking at the event.

Creative exhibitions

The Spirit of Sussex Award once again supported the creative and entrepreneurial work of students by inviting some of our Award participants to showcase and exhibit their creative work. The vibrant collection of creative work being exhibited included Marlena Jagoda’s poetry, Daisy Boston’s paintings, Lobue Lobue’s drawings and sketches, James Myers photography and Asma Halimi’s photography – the artistic themes included instinctive emotions, stories of unique relationships, gender and liberation and vulnerable communities.

Guests had the opportunity to view the creative exhibition, talk to the student artists and producers and learn more about the stories behind the work. The ethos of the Spirit of Sussex Award is to provide opportunities for students to engage in creative, entrepreneurial, and cultural activities, so this event was a great opportunity to celebrate these works.

Exhibition showcasing Spirit of Sussex Award participants' creative work.

The Spirit of Sussex Award is committed to engage and recognise all Sussex, BSMS and IDS students for their co-curricular and voluntary achievements and we continue to support students with getting involved in the Award scheme, showcasing students’ achievements and create opportunities for students to engage and make their mark in local, national and global communities.

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