Meet our previous winner of the Student of the Year Award… Alex Nebancea!

Alex won the award in our 2022 SU Awards ceremony and went on to graduate in BA Business Management and Leadership. During her time at university, Alex engaged with so many volunteering opportunities, events and activities with the SU and dedicated a lot of time to doing things for the wider student body. Fast forward two years and Alex is now working with the SU as an Education Engagement Coordinator.

We caught up with Alex to ask her a few questions about her experience of winning the award. Watch the full conversation here or read a summary below. 
 

How did it make you feel to win the ‘Student of the Year’ award?

I felt proud to win my award but also surprised at the same time. As an undergraduate student, it was an incredible honour to be nominated, shortlisted, and win the award especially since it was a difficult choice as there were so many other amazing people who were also nominated and shortlisted. I think it is one of my proudest achievements to date.
 

Why do you think you were nominated?

In my four years of studies, I dedicated a lot of my spare time to volunteering with the Students' Union. It was like a second home to me. Most of the things I wanted to do were for the student body and I was always eager to help people. I think my dedication was noticed and that's one of the reasons.
 

Did other students or staff acknowledge your achievement?

Even after the ceremony, my classmates and teachers came up to me to congratulate me on my achievement and ask about the award as they saw it on social media or saw me in and out of classes and volunteering sessions. It was nice to be acknowledged to have that 'inner celebrity' moment after the awards. Overall it was nice to recognise those students volunteering across the Students' Union. 
 

Why do you think other students or staff should get involved in the upcoming awards season?

I think it's a great opportunity to celebrate excellence and the success of both students and staff across the Student's Union. It's a great way not only to get to know what everybody else around us has done and the impressive achievements they have, but also to just come together and have a fun night of celebrating each other. It's a really nice 'I've done it' moment.

One piece of advice I'd give to anyone nominating for the awards is put your heart in it and really highlight the reason you're nominating that person and the impact they've had on the community, whether it's a student, staff member, or course. It's really nice to read about the achievements of others and inspiring to see all the good that people are doing around the community, so get involved!

Find more information on the 2024 awards season at yoursu.org/awards and get nominating! You could be the next winner.